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 does Joannie wonder about Violet and Harry's relationship in Chapter 7?

2. Who agrees to take in Elizabeth?

3. What does Elizabeth begin attending in Chapter 4?

4. What career does Maureen O'Connor want to pursue in Chapter 3?

5. What amuses Eileen about Elizabeth in Chapter 2?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Violet announce the day before Elizabeth's sixteenth birthday?

2. How is Elizabeth accommodated as a non-Catholic? What do the nuns fail to notice about her in Chapter 4?

3. What does Sean Sr. want before he would allow Sean Jr. to fight with the English?

4. How does Joannie end up being sent to a convent school in Chapter 7?

5. How has Violet changed in the time Elizabeth has been away?

6. How does Sean Sr. react when Sean Jr. enlists? What change occurs within the family ranks?

7. How does Elizabeth continue her conversion to Catholicism in Chapter 5?

8. How does Violet annoy Eileen in Chapter 4?

9. What event does Elizabeth look forward to in Chapter 4? What does she worry might ruin this event?

10. How does Aisling's job search go in Chapter 8?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The novel opens during WWII. How are the characters of the novel affected by the war? Does Binchy use the war as a plot device in the novel? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the motif of family in the novel "Light a Penny Candle". Who are the members of Elizabeth's family? Who are the members of Aisling's family? How important is family to Elizabeth and Aisling? What obstacles do Elizabeth and Aisling face because of their families? How do their families help them overcome obstacles or grow as characters?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the motif of alcoholism in the novel "Light a Penny Candle". What are some examples of alcohol leading to problems for the characters, particularly Aisling and Elizabeth. How is alcohol a leading factor in the demise of Aisling's marriage?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 736 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample