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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. Who is the person that first hears Wallace stumble in order to think of a word?

2. What does Jen decide to do when she is sitting in her yard, not able to sleep because of the surgery?

3. The Burn Outs are the old hippies in town who did way too many drugs when they were younger and now cannot stop ______________.

4. What do the people next door to Jen remind her of, as she describes them for the reader?

5. This friend of Jen's tries to reassure her with a story about her family ________, even though the story doesn't end well.

Short Essay Questions

1. What does the family do in the days leading up to Wallace's surgery, trying to forget about what's to happen?

2. How did Eric and Jen meet, according to the story that Jen tells in the book?

3. What does Wallace share with his child to be his hopes for the health problem he now faces?

4. What happens in order to wake Wallace up and to get him talking to his children in the room?

5. What happens between the children before they decide to go into the hospital after the surgery?

6. Why doesn't Jen decide to tell Eric about the brain tumor that her father has been diagnosed as having?

7. Why does Jen love to have Megan over to stay with her at her little home?

8. Why doesn't Eric like to talk about his feelings when Jen tries to get him to do so?

9. What happens every Tuesday night in Jen's life, according to the story?

10. What do the townspeople say is happening in the town, which is what is leading to all of the misery?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Jen makes plans to meet with Kathleen, even though she is always late.

Part 1: Why do you think Jen believes it's important to still meet with Kathleen?

Part 2: What would you do if someone you were supposed to meet was always late?

Part 3: How do you think Kathleen feels about Jen and their friendship?

Essay Topic 2

Jen is a character who could be described as being paranoid, even though she thinks everyone else is more so.

Part 1: Why do you think Jen is so paranoid in her life?

Part 2: Do you think there is value in Jen being paranoid?

Part 3: How do you think Jen's life might change if she were not paranoid?

Essay Topic 3

Jen thinks about her brothers and realizes that she likes them, even if they were mean to her as a child.

Part 1: Do you think it's always easy for brothers and sisters to get along?

Part 2: How do you think siblings might be able to make their relationships stronger?

Part 3: Why do you think Jen suddenly thinks on how much she likes her brothers?

(see the answer keys)

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