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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 was Joel's pet phrase to Gwendolyn?

2. What did Gwendolyn get for Trethewey that empowered her at the beginning in Part III?

3. What was the first thing the medium did when Trethewey and her friend got there?

4. Why did Trethewey decide to go to a medium herself in Part IV?

5. What month did the medium ask Trethewey about the significance of towards the end of their session?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

4. In what way was Trethewey careful about how she answered the medium's questions?

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

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

7. Why did Gwendolyn decline an invitation to Jimmy Carter's inaugural ball?

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

9. What did Trethewey tell her mother when Gwendolyn told her Joel wanted to adopt her?

10. What did Gwendolyn write was one of Joel's favorite things to do to torment her?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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.

Essay Topic 2

What do the few objects Trethewey kept after her mother's death - the belt made of bullets, the dieffenbachia plant, and a few books - say about her relationship with and feelings about her mother? Write an essay explaining your answers.

Essay Topic 3

Why did Trethewey decide not to tell her mother about Joel's torments and psychological abuses of her? What connection did Trethewey make between her decision not to tell her mother and her mother's murder years later? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 757 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample