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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 has a heart attack in Chapter 10?

2. Who approaches Tara angry because they don't hang out anymore in Chapter 12?

3. What refers to content underneath the spoken dialogue?

4. What is a form of dermatitis or inflammation of the epidermis (skin)?

5. In Chapter 8, Tara says that her parents "release their anxiety by fighting about money, movies, friends" and what?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Tara feel about her inward thoughts in Chapter 5?

2. What takes place at the carnival in Chapter 10?

3. In terms of character arc, where is Tara in Chapter 10? How is this chapter an imprint on her character?

4. What is Tara's response to being kicked off the volleyball team in Chapter 3?

5. How does Tara view language in Chapter 5? Why?

6. How is the character of Greta depicted in Chapter 7?

7. How does Tara describe her best friends in Chapter 3? What grade is Tara in at this point?

8. How is Donna described in Chapter 11?

9. How does Tara describe her relationship to religion in Chapter 2?

10. How do Tara and their friends describe their personal fears in Chapter 3?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe and discuss both religious allusion and the narrative voice in the novel. Is the novel written in present or past tense? From whose point of view? What religion is Tara? How does she feel about her religion? Why does Tara find solace in religion?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the theme of fear and Tara's fears in the narrative. What has led to Tara's fear of losing her parents? How is Tara's condition affected when her father is hospitalized? How does the isolation from her friends affect Tara? What does Tara claim her greatest fear is in the novel?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss and analyze the character of Greta in the narrative. How old is Greta in relation to Tara? What is Greta's relationship with Tara like? How does Greta get along with her family? How does Greta prove her loyalty to Tara as a sister in the novel?

(see the answer keys)

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