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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. To which of her family members does Maya stop speaking for a week when she becomes angry?

2. What compliment does Rafe give to Grace when he is about to kiss her?

3. What event does Maya say she had forgotten about due to the horrors of finding her mother bleeding on the floor?

4. When Grace texts Joaquin to tell him the location of their meeting has changed, where does she tell him to go instead of the coffee shop?

5. What is NOT among the list of things Maya has thought of saying to Claire the first time they speak after the break-up?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does the narrator mean when stating that Grace feels "trapped in the amber of her pregnancy" (182)?

2. How does Lauren view Maya's treatment of Claire in relation to her own relationship with Maya?

3. What do the Oreos symbolize in the scene between Lauren and Maya?

4. What word does Maya's dad use in reference to Maya's birth mother that infuriates Maya?

5. How is the theme of isolation depicted within Joaquin's reaction to his sisters' queries after his altercation with Adam?

6. During Mark and Linda's second inquiry into Joaquin's feelings about their possible adoption of him, what is the question he finally poses to them?

7. What are the living arrangements in Maya's family after her parent's separation?

8. What does Joaquin do when he is overcome by the feelings associated with his altercation with Adam?

9. What lie does Joaquin tell Mark and Linda about his recent visits with Ana, his therapist?

10. What is the symbolism of the iced tea Joaquin loathes?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the author's use of humor alongside humanist messages within Robin Benway's novel Far From the Tree.

Essay Topic 2

Analyze the interplay between the resolution of Robin Benway's novel Far From the Tree and one of the novel's main messages. How does the author make connections between these elements and how does their juxtaposition help the author get across one main message of the novel?

Essay Topic 3

Sensory details are used frequently by the author in order to create vivid pictures of each sibling's character and progression through the narrative. Choose three scenes in which sensory details are heavily used and discuss how the sensory details used by the author set a particular mood for each of the three scenes.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,186 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample