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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 was Connie with her mother when Connie saw her first childbirth?

2. On the weekend after Charlotte's death, who called the Danforth home?

3. What does Sibyl's attorney compare Charlotte's death to?

4. The year that Charlotte's family arrived, who did Connie constantly hope to catch a look at?

5. Who was waiting for Connie when she came home from school on the day after Charlotte's death?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why did Connie spend a lot of her time riding her best friend's horse?

2. Why was Connie upset when she saw Stephen Hastings joking with the prosecutor and judge?

3. Why didn't anyone notice that there was an ice storm outside during Charlotte's labor?

4. Why did Sibyl agree to give the police officer who came to the Danforth home a statement without a lawyer present?

5. Why was Connie able to go looking for Tom Cort on the afternoon he first kissed her?

6. Why did Sibyl ask Asa to bring her a sharp knife?

7. Why was Sibyl's appearance after Charlotte's death shocking to Connie?

8. What caused Sibyl to believe it might have finally been time to take Charlotte to the hospital?

9. Why was Connie so upset when the jury returned to the courtroom?

10. How did the hippie movement, of which Sibyl became a part, influence her decision to become a midwife?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Why does Charlotte's death have such a profound effect on Sibyl? How is her position as a midwife significant in her reaction? How might her reaction have been different if she were a doctor?

Essay Topic 2

How are the other midwives affected by Sibyl's trial? How did they react? What did they stand to lose if Sibyl was convicted?

Essay Topic 3

What tone is set for the novel in the very first section of the book? What does the author do to set the tone? Does the book progress using the same tone throughout, or does it change at some point?

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This section contains 721 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample