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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 does Ruth know she should invite Amanda to do in the end of Chapter 25?

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

3. What does Clay suggest that is subversive in Chapter 29, which Amanda hesitates before agreeing to?

4. Who does Amanda go to check on in Chapter 26?

5. Where do Amanda's parents live?

Short Essay Questions

1. In Chapter 18, what does Ruth most desire?

2. What happens to Archie in the woods that he does not even feel but that the narrator notes?

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

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

5. In Chapter 21, what does Rose see in the woods that she points out to Archie?

6. Where do Rose and Archie go in Chapter 19 together?

7. In Chapter 24, what strikes Amanda as absurdly funny about G.H.?

8. In Chapter 24, what does Ruth say is the last thing she would like to hear on earth?

9. In Chapter 26, what happens to Archie?

10. In Chapter 27, what does the narrator reveal about what is happening back in New York City?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay exploring the different reactions of the four main adults in the novel - Amanda, Clay, Ruth, and G.H. - the first time they hear "the noise."

Essay Topic 2

Why do you think Alam chooses to employ the voice of a narrator who seems to know only slightly more about the crises unfolding than the characters themselves do? What tone do you think Alam is trying to set in choosing this style? Write an essay explaining your answers.

Essay Topic 3

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.

(see the answer keys)

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