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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 Uncle Charlie's favorite book?

2. What happens to Russell's mother at the age of eighty?

3. What killed Benjamin at the young age of thirty-three?

4. What major travel institution was located in Brunswick?

5. Who lives in Baltimore that Lucy Elizabeth is excited to be near?

Short Essay Questions

1. Explain the family's long lost fortune.

2. What did Lucy Elizabeth feel was her greatest failure with Benjamin?

3. What ghost did Ida Rebecca once claim to see?

4. Who is Aunt Pat and why is Russell fond of her?

5. What remedy does Aunt Pat insist is good for the children, but they find disgusting?

6. Why don't Hal and Charlie get along?

7. Who finally bought Uncle Etch's glass coffin?

8. What is Russell's earliest memory?

9. Since he is unable to talk with his ailing mother, what does Russell realize about the past?

10. What are some of the reasons Ida Rebecca dislikes Lucy Elizabeth?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

One of the central themes of the work is Lucy's need for Russell to "make something of himself." How, throughout the novel, does she make him attempt to do so? What specific jobs does he have? What kinds of things does she teach him? Give examples of Lucy's quest from the text, explaining how each may have helped spur Russell on to the next step.

Essay Topic 2

Reexamine Chapter 9. How could the Dickens quote "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times" be applicable to the family's life? Be sure to think about:

1) Money

2) Home

3) Happiness

4) Work

Essay Topic 3

In the work, Russell states that talk was the pastime of the Depression. How is this illustrated in the novel? What memories does Russell have of those times? Does Russell realize that the family is poor, or is he completely oblivious? How does the home in Belleville with Aunt Pat, Uncle Allen, etc. illustrate this point?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 624 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample