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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 did a big family of Vietnamese immigrants do for Jeannie to thank her for helping secure their home loan?

2. Which ex-husband of Betty's did Jeannie remember as a "belt-snapper?"

3. How much did the bank say Nick and Chris qualified for for a loan in Chapter 5?

4. Who did Smarsh's father marry in Chapter 4?

5. What business did Dorothy start in Chapter 5 that was fairly successful?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Smarsh learn from her father Nick regarding houses?

2. In Part IV, what did Ray once offer to do for Betty that was criminal but that Betty tells Smarsh she considered?

3. What does it mean to Smarsh when Arnie tells her in Part III that she is smart?

4. What was one reason Bob found it fairly easy to get full custody of his and Betty's son in Part IV?

5. Why does Smarsh think being poor carries such a unique kind of shame in America?

6. What made Betty's poverty more tolerable to other people, in Smarsh's opinion?

7. In Part IV, what does the maroon wall symbolize for Jeannie?

8. In Part III, what is Smarsh's stepmother Chris like?

9. How did Jeannie's boyfriend, also named Bob, treat Smarsh?

10. What does Smarsh say is a big differences between the poor and the middle-and-upper-class families who make mistakes?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How does going away to college change Smarsh's relationship with her family and of their perceptions of her? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 2

What do tornadoes, the most violent and common storm on the Kansas plains, symbolize for Smarsh? Write an essay explaining your answer, citing specific references to the text to help support your opinions.

Essay Topic 3

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.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 723 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample