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. Irene shows up at the house with Emmett in what kind of car?

2. Which panel of the Vietnam Memorial shows Dayne Hughes' name?

3. What is the name of Irene's new baby?

4. Where does Pap say Fred Turner's boy is stationed in the Air Force?

5. Why can't Irene go dancing like she used to?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why hadn't the the previous occupant of Sam's house, Bessie, thrown away the liquor bottles her husband had drunk from?

2. Why does Sam have the feeling that everyone around her is shooting off in all directions?

3. How does Sam perceive the Washington Monument and the flag near the Vietnam Memorial?

4. Why didn't Sam give her mother the ceramic cat she decorated when Irene gave her $600 to buy the car?

5. Why does Sam have trouble caring about her father?

6. What do the arms of the willow tree shadowed on her wall remind Sam of?

7. How does Sam speculate on the moment of origin?

8. How determined is Grandma Smith to go to Florida?

9. How does Sam feel about cats and what does Dawn say about them?

10. Why does Irene want Emmett to warn her next time he comes to Lexington and how does Emmett respond to her sarcasm?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The Beatles are a recurrent motif in the book. What do they represent for Sam?

Essay Topic 2

Mawmaw seems out of touch with her own feelings and with modern reality. Explain how and why this irritates Sam.

Essay Topic 3

Why is Tom attractive to Sam? Why won't he return her affections?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 659 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample