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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 stipulation does the grandfather's will have that would make the Mother give all her inheritance to the grandmother?

2. What kind of bed does Chris see in his mother's room?

3. What is the title of Chapter 17?

4. What do Chris and Cathy do after he tends to her wounds from being beaten by the grandmother?

5. What is the title of Chapter 11?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Chris do when the grandmother accuses him and Cathy of incest in Chapter 13?

2. What do Chris and Cathy witness at the Christmas party while hiding in a cupboard?

3. How does Cory come to have a pet mouse?

4. What does Cathy do one night when she finds her stepfather asleep in a chair?

5. What happens when the Mother discovers Chris out of the room in Chapter 11?

6. How do the children react after learning that Cory died?

7. What do the children realize is the reason their mother hasn't visited them in a month in Chapter 18?

8. How is Cathy's hair ruined in Chapter 13?

9. What does Chris learn about his mother from John Amos at the end of Chapter 20?

10. How do the grandmother and mother react when Cory becomes ill in Chapter 20?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the dual nature of the grandmother that is portrayed in the book. What do you think is the grandmother's true feelings regarding the children, based on her mixture of punishment and occasional compassion in the book?

Essay Topic 2

Survival is a theme that can sum up the plight of the children in the book overall. Part 1.) How do the children ultimately survive living in the attic for three years? Part 2.) Do you think the children would have survived if they hadn't escaped from the mansion when they did? Part 3.) Will the children's ability to survive last, given all that has happened to them, or will they never truly recover from it?

Essay Topic 3

Loyalty is one topic the author examines in the book through the children's relationship with their mother. Part 1.) What is telling of Chris' nature based on his loyalty towards his mother after they are imprisoned? Part 2.) Why doesn't Cathy show the same loyalty to her mother as Chris does? Part 3.) What might the author be saying about the nature of loyalty based on the portrayal of the children's loyalty breaking in the book?

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