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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. In what way does Sissie's father offer to let her row the boat?

2. In the second summer, how long ago did Jerry get into big trouble?

3. Which of the following is offered to Sissie by a woman in the first summer?

4. What type of innocence would be considered a theme in the book?

5. How does Sissie describe her father's build?

Short Essay Questions

1. In what way does Sissie compare herself to her mother? How does she think they are different?

2. Is Sissie an innocent character in the beginning of the story? Why or why not?

3. What causes Sissie to feel suffocated in the final part of the book?

4. Is Sissie justified in being angry with her parents in Part 3? Why or why not?

5. Why does Sissie view her brief encounter with the mysterious man as a game?

6. How does the writer demonstrate that Sissie's language has matured by the fourth part?

7. Why did Sissie marry Jesse?

8. Why does Sissie feel uneasy in the boat with her father?

9. What is one example of imperfection as shown in the text in Part 1?

10. How does Sissie compare herself to other girls her own age in Part 3?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Would you consider distrust to be a theme in the book? Who is Sissie distrustful of? Why?

Essay Topic 2

Describe the narration style of the text. What is the narrator's voice? How does it develop over time? What importance does the narration have on the plot or character development? Essentially, how does the narration change the reading experience?

Essay Topic 3

In what ways is Sissie similar and different to her mother? How is Jesse comparable to Sissie's father? What predictions can the reader make based on these commonalities?

(see the answer keys)

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