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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. Marmee receives a letter from her husband, who is where?

2. How is Amy punished at school?

3. How many guests arrive for Amy's party?

4. What family does Marmee ask the girls to check on?

5. Meg gives birth after the Brookes have been married for how long?

Short Essay Questions

1. How is the Christmas celebration in chapter nineteen different from Christmas a year before?

2. Explain how Marmee's hope, in chapter nine, that her children will be happy, whether married or single, reflects the changing times when Alcott was writing the book in the 1860s.

3. As we return to Dovecote, how are Meg and John getting along in chapter twenty-five?

4. When Laurie says that Jo will be the next to wed, how does Jo react and how does Laurie view her attitude?

5. How does Marmee's attitude about Meg and Mr. Brooke and her children growing up in general illustrate Alcott's progressive views on the position of women in the late 1800s?

6. How does Jo cutting her hair in chapter fourteen affect the family, and what does it symbolize in the broader scheme of things?

7. How, in chapter six, do the girls' attitudes toward their neighbors grow and adapt?

8. Describe how both Amy and Jo are used to teach a lesson about anger and revenge in chapter eight.

9. Describe some of the ways the girls keep busy in chapter four, now that the Christmas holidays have ended.

10. Describe the ups and downs of Jo's writing experiences in chapter twenty-four.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Christmas and other parties play a recurring role in the March girls' lives throughout the book. Compare and contrast some of the Christmases and other parties in the book and explain how the girls learned the lesson that material things are not as important as family and friends during those festivities.

Essay Topic 2

Choose any one of the following three life lessons and explain how Louisa May Alcott uses the book to illustrate it.

1. Anger and revenge can cause more trouble later on. It is better to forgive and forget.

2. Hard work has many rewards. Laziness does not.

3. Popularity is not as important as strength of character.

Essay Topic 3

Do you agree with the overall way Jo led her life throughout the book? Explain why you agree or disagree with her nontraditional views and choices.

(see the answer keys)

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