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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. In Chapter 28, what do the adults eat for dinner?

2. In Chapter 29, why do Clay and Amanda have sex?

3. In Chapter 30, who comes into the hot tub with Amana?

4. What does Archie wish he had brought with him in Chapter 21?

5. In Chapter 32, what do Clay and Amanda debate through the night?

Short Essay Questions

1. In Chapter 31, what does the narrator reveal about "the noise"?

2. In Chapter 32, how do Amanda, Clay, Rose and Archie respond to the noise?

3. In Chapter 30, what does G.H. say he thinks is the most important thing during a crisis, the same thing that helped him build his fortune?

4. At the end of Chapter 27, why does Ruth tell Amanda that Amanda is lucky?

5. In Chapter 23, what do Ruth and G.H. note is unusual about their surroundings?

6. How does Clay react to the Spanish-speaking woman who approaches him in Chapter 20?

7. In Chapter 26, what does Amanda ask Clay to do for fear that the power might go out soon?

8. In Chapter 22, what happens that startles and upsets everyone?

9. In Chapter 30, what do the adults see outside that astounds them?

10. In Chapter 26, what happens to Archie?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How do Amanda and Clay choose to handle the unfolding crisis in terms of sharing information with their children Archie and Rose, and why do they choose the path they do? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay exploring the various ways Alam builds and sustains suspense throughout the novel, citing specific references to the text to help support your answers.

Essay Topic 3

Which characters in the novel seem to have the most faith in other people, especially once the scale of the crises begins to become clearer? Which characters seem to lack as much of this kind of faith? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your answers.

(see the answer keys)

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