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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 act of service did Pete and the girls perform for Charlie when she returned to Leechfield after the funeral?

2. Which of the following Karr family members refused to evacuate the home when a hurricane rolled through?

3. What prompted the fight between Charlie and Pete on Mary's tenth birthday?

4. During what season of the year did Charlie have her full scale mental breakdown?

5. How did Lecia react when she heard the news that Grandma Moore had passed away?

Short Essay Questions

1. How did Pete manage the family's money during their toughest financial times?

2. How did Mary initially feel about Antelope when she and her family first moved there?

3. What was Mary's reaction to seeing her mother in the mental hospital for the first time?

4. Where was Mary when she was sexually assaulted, and what was her reaction to the event?

5. Who were Tex and Belinda?

6. Why did Charlie choose to vacation in Mexico for four weeks, and what news did she bring back to her daughters upon her return?

7. How did Pete react when Mary announced that she didn't want her mother to return from the mental institution?

8. What startling event did Mary experience while driving in the car with her mother to Lubbock as a child?

9. How did the Karr family react when Lecia was attacked by the jellyfish at the beach?

10. What was the truth behind Tex and Belinda, as Charlie told the story?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

While visiting the beach after Grandma Moore's funeral, the Karr family falls victim to a terrible attack. First, create a timeline of events leading up to the attack on the beach. Then, explain who you think is most responsible for the attack, and why. Finally, explain how the attack on the beach affected the Karr family dynamics -- did it bring them closer together or tear them further apart? How can you tell? Be sure to cite at least two examples from the text to strengthen your arguments.

Essay Topic 2

After the divorce, Mary and Lecia adopt very different coping mechanisms to deal with their emotional disappointment in their parents. First, describe Mary's emotional coping method while dealing with abandonment issues from her father. Then, compare / contrast that to Lecia's coping method while dealing with abandonment issues from her father. What is the same about their coping methods? What is different? How do these two coping methods come to a head on Father's Day? Be sure to include at least two examples from the text that you believe help strengthen your arguments.

Essay Topic 3

Around Mary's tenth birthday, Pete and Charlie begin to struggle for power in their relationship, a conflict that comes out in various ways in the relationship. First, explain how Pete attempts to exert his power in the relationship and compare / contrast that to the way Charlie attempts to exert her power in the relationship. What is the same about their struggles for power? What is different? What is the effect of this power struggle on the maturity of the children in the house? Be sure to include at least two scenes from the memoir to strengthen your arguments.

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