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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 kind of car was Smarsh's grandmother driving when she drew up with Arnie at an intersection in Chapter 1?

2. When did Smarsh go to New York City for the first time?

3. How much money did Boeing once cut a check to Betty's grandmother for?

4. What life-threatening injury befalls Betty as a child?

5. How does Nick lose his pole barn in Chapter 2?

Short Essay Questions

1. In Part II, what event with small animals greatly upsets Smarsh?

2. In Part I, why was Jeannie considering calling off her wedding to Nick, and what changed her mind?

3. Why does Smarsh address her child that has never been conceived or born as "August?"

4. In Part I, what is one main reason Betty says yes when Arnie asks her to dance the first time they meet?

5. In Part I, what is one of Nick's greatest accomplishments in carpentry?

6. What are Smarsh's memories of her father Nick like from childhood?

7. How does Smarsh define her family's poverty in Part I?

8. What kind of parallel does Smarsh draw between the kittens in Part II and farming families?

9. In Part II, how does Smarsh describe her great-grandfather, Aaron, drawing on others' memories?

10. What kinds of health epidemics does Smarsh say rural families often face today?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay analyzing Smarsh's complex feelings about being identified as an academically "gifted" child and her confusion over her family's discomfort with the designation, citing specific references to the text to help support your answers.

Essay Topic 2

When Smarsh was ten years old, she went to live primarily with her grandmother Betty and Arnie. Write an essay exploring how Smarsh felt about this arrangement, focusing on her feelings about her own mother's reaction to it.

Essay Topic 3

Why did the older women in Smarsh's family, particularly Dorothy and Betty on her mother's side, move so much during their lives? Write an essay explaining your answer.

(see the answer keys)

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