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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. Jo feels alone because of what?

2. When Jo prepares to return home, Professor Bhaer gives her what gift?

3. Professor Bhaer begins to do what for Jo?

4. Who is the note that Jo finds from?

5. The professor and Jo meet for walks for how long?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Alcott show, through Jo's progression in the book, that women can have many roles in life?

2. How does Mrs. March's sixtieth birthday celebration, in the final chapter, mirror the Christmas festivities in the first chapter of the book?

3. How does Laurie help Amy to see the truth about herself and her relationship with Fred in chapter thirty-four?

4. Contrast Professor Bhaer with Laurie. What could possibly draw Jo to one over the other?

5. What secret does Beth reveal to Jo at the seashore and what does it say about Beth's mental state?

6. How do Laurie and Amy react to the news of Beth's death, and how do their reactions alter the main story?

7. Describe the significance of Christmas to Jo and the professor in chapter twenty-nine

8. When Beth gets increasingly depressed and upset, how does Jo plan to raise Beth's spirits in chapter twenty-eight?

9. In chapter thirty-nine, as she prepares to settle into the Laurence estate, how has Amy's attitude about money and material things changed?

10. How does the relationship between Jo and Laurie climax in chapter thirty-one?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Shy, timid Beth's character may not seem as well developed as everyone else in the book, but she plays an integral role. How do you feel about her death and what it represented to the rest of the March girls, especially Jo?

Essay Topic 2

In part I of the book, the girls have to make sacrifices due to the War. Explain the family hardships that go on, both financial and personal, and how the girls overcome them.

Essay Topic 3

Jo is the central character in the story. Her choices are essential to the plot. Choose one of the following scenarios and describe how you think the story might have ended up had Jo made that choice. Use elements from the existing plot to back up your assumptions.

1. Jo marries Laurie.

2. Jo never marries anyone.

(see the answer keys)

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