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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 9 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Who tells Seraphina that the nannies have left?

2. What does Hadley think about doing with the baby after she takes her from the library?

3. What does Seraphina suspect about her nannies?

4. What do the women who visit Hadley tell her that do?

5. What example does one of the women who visits Hadley use as proof that Hadley's life may not have purpose?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does borrowing a baby make Hadley feel about her lot in life?

2. How does Seraphina discover her nannies are gone and how does she react?

3. Why does Hadley consider running away with Gemma when she takes her from the library?

4. Who comes to Hadley's apartment after she arrives with Gemma and where are they from?

5. How does Paul behave around Seraphina?

6. What does one of the woman who comes to Hadley's apartment say to Hadley when she says that borrowing a baby is not a crime?

7. Describe Hadley's experience at the library when she looks for a baby to borrow.

8. How does Seraphina feel about her life as a mother?

9. Why do the women who come to Hadley's apartment say they think she is one of them?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write a brief essay analyzing the title "Graceful Burdens." Explore the ways in which this title connects to the plot and themes of the story.

Essay Topic 2

Write an analysis of Seraphina's character in "Graceful Burdens." Who is she? What is her life like and how does she feel about her role? How does her character support the story's themes?

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay examining the ending of "Graceful Burdens." How did the ending fit into the storyline? Do you think the ending was effective? What theme might the ending represent? What might the author have done differently?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 636 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample