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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 is the bird stuck in?

2. What day of the week is it in the second summer?

3. What quality about her father does Sissie dislike?

4. What do Sissie's parents bicker about in the first summer?

5. Who becomes angry with a woman when she offers something to Sissie during the first summer?

Short Essay Questions

1. What causes Sissie to lose trust in her mother?

2. What message about marriage does Sissie pass on?

3. What has changed in Sissie's life between the first two summers narrated?

4. How does Sissie view her father in Part 2? How does this compare to Jerry's view of their father?

5. What role does the class structure play in "Four Summers"?

6. Describe Sissie's view of her father the first summer at the tavern.

7. Why is Sissie horrified when she sees the bird stuck in the scum on the water?

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

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

10. Describe Sissie, the narrator, as she is first introduced.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Who or what is the protagonist in "Four Summers"? Why? Who or what is the antagonist in "Four Summers" and how does the reader know this? What role do both the protagonist and antagonist play in the story?

Essay Topic 2

How do social issues play a role in "Four Summers"? Consider the hierarchy of women. Also, consider the roles of class and race.

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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