View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Ellie remembers that Marion often said that all people are equal, as they all do what?

2. How does the warmth of the sun on Jeremiah's skin make him feel?

3. How does Carlton respond after Jeremiah describes his feelings for Ellie?

4. In Part One, Chapter 6, why does Ellie have her hand on the phone?

5. When one of Jeremiah's white teammates starts annoying him, what does he wonder?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Jeremiah feel about his time in history class with Ellie?

2. What old routine do Ellie and her father discuss?

3. How does Jeremiah feel about being Black when in his own community?

4. Why does Jeremiah now attend Percy?

5. How does Ellie feel as she listens to the messages on the answering machine?

6. How does Peter treat Jeremiah?

7. What kind of person is Jeremiah looking for?

8. What do various family members tell Jeremiah about his blackness?

9. How does Ellie respond when her father asks her about the boy from school?

10. How does Jeremiah feel now that his parents are separated?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Frequently the author mentions rain or sun. What is the connection between the weather and the main characters and events in If You Come Softly? Why might the author have decided to create this relationship? How does noting the weather influence the tone of the book? How does this affect the reader?

Essay Topic 2

The relationship between parent and child is important to If You Come Softly. What is revealed about both parents and children? How does this affect the parent-child relationship? Is this universal? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 3

What is the tone of If You Come Softly? What affects the tone? How does the language used by the author, the personalities of the characters, and the plot influence the tone? What else influences the tone? How does this tone, in turn, affect the reader?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 926 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample