View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Who did Noreen send Willa Jo to get help when Baby was sick?

2. What did Aunt Patty offer to pay for for Noreen?

3. Who did Noreen talk to a lot of times while her husband was away?

4. What did the doctors ask when Noreen, Milly and the girls went to the hospital?

5. Noreen painted pictures of Baby ___________________.

Short Essay Questions

1. What message is Uncle Hob hoping the girls get from his story about staying with his grieving grandfather?

2. Why does Aunt Patty suggest taking the girls home with her for awhile and how does Willa Jo secretly feel about it?

3. What was the nuclear family of Willa Jo and Little Sister prior to Baby's birth?

4. Why was the girls' father gone from home so much and what suggestion did Aunt Patty have for Noreen and the girls?

5. What does Uncle Hob do to ingratiate himself to the girls while they're sitting on the roof?

6. What lessons has Aunt Patty learned by having the girls with her for awhile?

7. Describe what happened in the house on the morning that Baby died.

8. Why do Aunt Patty and Uncle Hob seem to enjoy sitting on the roof with the girls?

9. What does Miss Pettibone do when Willa Jo says she is going to the drugstore to call Aunt Patty?

10. Why do all the other girls blame Willa Jo when Miss Pettibone gets upset with them?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Compare and contrast the lives of Willa Jo and Liz. How are their circumstances similar? In what ways are their lives different? What draws them together to make them friends? What could have threatened to kill a friendship even before it began?

Essay Topic 2

Create a brief character study of Noreen. What did she look like? What were her positive personality traits? What were her dreams and fears? What was most valuable to her in her world?

Essay Topic 3

Explain the significance of the book's title. What does the author mean by calling it simply "Getting Near to Baby". What is she trying to emphasize with this emphatic style? Suggest three alternate titles for this book with supporting rationale for each.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,261 words (approx. 5 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample