View a FREE sample

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 sentence did Elaine receive from the judge on her case?

3. Whose letter does Apache hear being read on television in Chapter 16?

4. In Chapter 29, what single word does Elaine use to describe life on the outside?

5. Who is arrested two months after Frankie dies?

Short Essay Questions

1. What information does Elaine include in a letter asking to be considered for clemency?

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

3. Why do you think some women have a hard time leaving Bedford Hills Prison?

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

5. Explain the Rockefeller drug laws.

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

7. In Chapter 20, what does Elaine see that she needs for Apartment 13B?

8. What is the result of Judge Clyne's eleven years on the bench?

9. Why does the chart at the police department have Elaine two inches taller than she really is?

10. Describe Sabrina.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

During Part 3 of the book, Elaine makes many decisions. Sometimes she is breaking minor rules of her parole. Other times, she makes questionable decisions regarding her family. Pick one situation in which you believe that Elaine made the wrong decision or took the wrong action. Do you understand why she makes the decision that she does? In your opinion, what would have been a better option for Elaine and why?

Essay Topic 2

How does the author deal with the setting of "Life on the Outside?" Does it have an effect on the tone of the book? Do you have a good sense of the prisons, the housing projects, and the locations throughout New York?

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.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 928 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample