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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. How old was Madeline when she learned to read?

2. At the beginning of Chapter 17, what time is Elizabeth pacing the floor with her screaming baby?

3. In Chapter 15, when does Dr. Mason tell Elizabeth he would like to see her back rowing for a two seat?

4. What time does Calvin go rowing?

5. What was the name of the librarian at the Catholic orphanage where Calvin grew up?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Elizabeth go into labor and have her baby?

2. How did Calvin learn that he was adopted?

3. How do Elizabeth and Calvin get a dog, and how does he happen to be a stray?

4. How does Calvin get injured in Chapter 11?

5. Who is Harriet Sloane, and how do she and Elizabeth meet?

6. When do Elizabeth and Calvin meet?

7. How does Elizabeth get her own TV show?

8. How is Calvin's headstone damaged?

9. Why was Elizabeth not accepted for a doctorate program?

10. How do Madeline's lunches her mother packs compare to other children's lunches they bring from home?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Artistic license is the way that an author creates, art, music, or writing based on her interpretation of life. How does Garmus use artistic license to create the realistic background of Lessons in Chemistry?

Essay Topic 2

What a reader knows about events and characters is determined by the point of view in a book. What is the point of view in the book? How does the point of view influence what readers know about events and characters? How does it help readers connect with and understand characters?

Essay Topic 3

In the novel, some characters are more thoroughly described than others. Who are some characters that are merely named in passing or have a minor role in the novel? What is the importance of these flat characters to the storyline? In what way do these characters make the main characters more colorful or interesting? When there is conflict, what type of role do these flat characters play?

(see the answer keys)

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