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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. Why is Becky upset by what is in the package?

2. In "October Becky," Becky brings home a surprise for Andrew. What is the surprise?

3. What is the first thing that Kelly must do when she arrives at the work function with Oliver in tow?

4. What is in the bag that Andrew brings home from the drugstore when he returns to Becky in "January Becky"?

5. When Steve, Kelly, and Oliver return home from the music class, Kelly falls asleep for just a minute. What time is it when she wakes up?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Mimi finally go too far and prompt Becky to stand up to her?

2. What action shows that Ayinde is beginning to come to terms with Richard's infidelity and the resulting child?

3. What is the huge plot twist that happens in "January Becky"?

4. How does Merrill's talk of her husband help Lia make another step on the road to recovery?

5. How does the author foreshadow the disaster of the magazine interview?

6. Describe how Kelly struggles in "December Kelly" with raising the baby and working.

7. How does the need for communication show in "February Kelly"?

8. How does the readers' perception of Steve change in "January Kelly"?

9. In the chapter "February Lia," how is it shown that Lia is still in love and wants to reach out to Sam?

10. How is Lia's final dream symbolic of her improved mental state and also a promise of things to come?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Having a baby brought about many changes in the friends' sense of self. Choose one of the friends and describe in detail, using examples from the story, how their sense of self changed.

Essay Topic 2

How is Ayinde affected by learning of her son's heart murmur? How does this "hole in the heart" to Ayinde's son reflect the injury that Ayinde has sustained on an emotional level? What do Ayinde's son's prospects for health imply about Ayinde's health and the health of her friends?

Essay Topic 3

Many characters in the story have experienced a loss. Choose one loss. Tell about this loss and how it affected the character.

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This section contains 951 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample