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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 one subject is mentioned that Nonna and Alice talk about?

2. What secret wish does Alice express after Nonna's funeral?

3. What does Alice say was Nonna's opinion of Father?

4. What does Mr. Early encourage Alice to do?

5. How long does Alice believe it took for Father to die?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe Alice's Walter.

2. Who is the most positive father figure in Alice's life?

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

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

5. Describe the life that Alice creates for herself in New York.

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

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

8. Why does Mother tell people that Father was a sculptor?

9. How has Mother and Alice's relationship changed when they are living on different coasts?

10. Describe the role of poetry in Alice's life.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Alice has multiple parental figures, good and bad, in Florida. Answer the following questions using examples from the story.

Who is a better mother: Mother or Nonna?

Who is a better father figure for Alice: Mr. Early or Arthur?

Essay Topic 2

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.

Essay Topic 3

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.

(see the answer keys)

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