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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 did Trethewey often do when Joel was around at home?

2. What was one way Trethewey thought the medium might try to find information about her?

3. Which of the following was one of Trethewey's biggest fears?

4. What did some of the staff at the family shelter say to Gwendolyn when she first got there with her children?

5. What imaginary name did Trethewey give to herself in Part III?

Short Essay Questions

1. What did Gwendolyn write was the result of her marriage counseling for her?

2. What did Gwendolyn give Trethewey that provided a "crucial outlet" for her (106)?

3. What does Trethewey wonder about what might have changed the course of hers and her mother's lives in Part III?

4. What happened after Gwendolyn told Joel Trethewey knew he was beating her?

5. What did Gwendolyn write about the problems between Trethewey and Joel?

6. What did Mrs. Messick tell Trethewey's mother about how she was doing in school?

7. What did the medium tell Trethewey he was getting a specific strong vibe about?

8. How long was it before Trethewey had a chance to read her mother's notes that were taken from her briefcase by the police?

9. What did Joel do that used to make Trethewey sob with fear and anxiety in Part III?

10. How did Trethewey learn to figure out whether Joel was in the house or not in Part III?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

At the end of her memoir, do you think Trethewey has found any kind of peace regarding her relationship with her mother and her mother's killing? Why, or why not? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific information from the text to support your answers.

Essay Topic 2

What did Trethewey learn from the pages of her mother's notes that were in Gwendolyn's briefcase at the time of Gwendolyn's death in 1985? Write an essay explaining your answers.

Essay Topic 3

What did Trethewey think about her mother's decision to visit a psychic weeks before her death? Why did Trethewey herself decide to visit a medium as an adult? Write an essay explaining your answers.

(see the answer keys)

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