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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 news did Elaine have for her mother when she arrived for Elaine's sentencing?

2. What bad news does Lora receive in Chapter 15?

3. Who moves to Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in Chapter 12?

4. Which couple is introduced in Chapter 10 as joining a program to let a prisoner's child stay with them for a week?

5. What celebrity joins the rally at Rockefeller Center on the 25th anniversary of the Rockefeller drug laws?

Short Essay Questions

1. Elaine searches Apartment 13B for signs of her mother. What does she find?

2. What is Elaine's attitude toward men in Chapter 28 and is it working for her?

3. What is it like for Apache on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota?

4. Describe Fiske Cottage and how Elaine feels about it.

5. What is Alfonso Camacho's background? Do you think Alfonso Camacho is a good parole officer? Why or why not?

6. By 1998, what changes had the Rockefeller drug laws had on the New York prison system?

7. How did Apache cope with life in Apartment 13B?

8. In Chapter 19, what does Elaine do with the $40 send-off money that the prison gave her?

9. What are the O'Connors of Katonah like?

10. Describe Lora Tucker.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Often in a book, main characters undergo change as a result of what happens to them in the story. What kinds of changes does Elaine undergo during "Life on the Outside?" Are they changes for the better or worse?

Essay Topic 2

In the United States, serving time in prison is intended to punish the offender. It also intends to reform people and make them remorseful for their crime? What effect did prison have on Elaine Bartlett? Did she learn a lesson? If so, what lesson did she learn?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the "War on Drugs" as evidenced by laws like the Rockefeller drug laws. Why are drugs a problem in American society? Do strong drug laws deter offenders? Does the punishment fit the crime? Support your answers with statistics from today's drugs and drug laws. Make a recommendation on what you think the best solution to the problem is. Be sure to support your argument.

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