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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 does Sean Jr. fail in Chapter 3?

2. Who does Violet fall in love with in Chapter 6?

3. To what does Aisling equate Kilgarret?

4. What does Sean Jr. want to do that causes his mother anxiety in Chapter 2?

5. Who comes down with the flu before Christmas in Chapter 6?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What does Aisling report in a letter to Elizabeth in Chapter 6?

3. How does Elizabeth respond to Aisling's questions about sex?

4. What does Eileen worry over concerning Elizabeth's arrival?

5. In Chapter 3, what do Elizabeth's and Eileen's first letters to the Whites refer to?

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

7. What overwhelms Elizabeth when she arrives at the O'Connor household?

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

9. Who does Violet White damn at the beginning of the novel?

10. What horrifies young Sean when Elizabeth arrives in Chapter 2?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Analyze and interpret the characters Elizabeth and Aisling. What are their defining character traits? What struggles and obstacles do they face throughout the novel? What are their goals and motives?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss Elizabeth's and Aisling's growth as characters. How do they grow throughout the novel? How are they able to do this? How does their friendship evolve along the way?

Essay Topic 3

Analyze and interpret the conclusion of the novel "Light a Penny Candle". What happens at the end of the novel? Are there any unanswered questions? Why might Binchy have chosen to end the novel when she did?

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