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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. What does Alice do at the end of Part Two:The Big House- Arthur?

2. What kind of poets does Alice say Father liked?

3. What does Alice want to draw?

4. Where does Alice stay during Arthur's funeral?

5. Who does Mother blame for the circumstances of her life?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe Alice's Walter.

2. Why is Nonna kinder to Alice than she is to Mother?

3. What is Alice's Florida when she is in high school?

4. Is Alice happy at the end of the story?

5. How does Alice repeat her mother's mistakes?

6. Describe the circumstances of Arthur's death.

7. How is Arthur's death handled by Alice's family?

8. Is it right for Alice to ask her Mother to sign over access to Mother's trust fund?

9. Describe Mother's life when Alice visits her in California.

10. Explain why Alice finds herself in a lawyer's office when she is 30-years-old.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Consider the role of creativity, art and literature in Florida.

1)Compare and contrast the way that Father, Alice and Mr. Early use literature in their lives.

2) Do Mother's artistic talents contribute in any meaningful ways to the lives of anyone in the story?

3) How does Alice use her own literary talents in a meaningful way?

Essay Topic 2

Defining home and a place she belongs is not easy for Alice.

1) Compare and contrast the brownstone and Uncle Billy's house as homes for Alice.

2) Of all the places Alice lives, choose the two that most and least feel like home. Explain your reasoning.

3) Analyze the extent to which having Mother present is necessary for a house to feel like home to Alice at different times in her life.

Essay Topic 3

Symbolism is seen in both Mother's fondness for naming things and in the use of locations as chapter titles.

1) Compare and contrast the Emerald Gem and the Mouse.

2) How do Arlette's stories differ from the Big House chapters?

3) Define Mother via these items: the Magnavox, the sun box, and her lost glove.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 853 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample