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

2. Which of the following is a theme in the book, visible in the first summer?

3. Why does Sissie first taste beer?

4. What is the outcome of Sissie's parents bickering at the tavern in the first summer?

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

Short Essay Questions

1. Why did Sissie marry Jesse?

2. What is Sissie afraid of in Part 1?

3. Describe the hierarchy of the sexes present in the story.

4. Why does Sissie get angry when she sees the mysterious man at the bar as an adult?

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

6. How is the idea of life and death explored in the text in part 1?

7. When Sissie sees her father throwing up, why is she afraid?

8. Why might it be difficult to write from Sissie's perspective?

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What is the significance of the title "Four Summers" to the story? How does it relate to the setting and Sissie's character development? Is the title so important that if it were changed, it would change the story's context? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

How is self-consciousness a theme in the story? Why does Sissie feel self-conscious? Is she rational in feeling this way? Why or why not? What is the cause of Sissie's discomfort?

Essay Topic 3

Explain Sissie's family dynamic: How does she feel about her parents and siblings? how does this change over time? why do you think this changes? what predictions can you make for the way Sissie's family dynamic will change?

(see the answer keys)

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