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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 Hastings say about home births in his opening statement?

2. Who was given the first chance to speak in Sibyl's trial?

3. What did Hastings say Anne failed to do?

4. What did Connie notice about Hastings and Sibyl as the trial was about to begin?

5. What did the coroner testify that Sibyl had done?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why was Hastings' winning of a motion to review Charlotte's medical records important?

2. What was Connie's reaction to seeing the word "vagal" written on a conference room board at Hastings' place of business?

3. Why did Tanner depict Charlotte as a frail woman?

4. How did Anne's testimony make the jury begin to see Charlotte as a real person?

5. Why did Connie continue to read other entries in Sibyl's journal after reading the one she found the notebook opened to?

6. Why was Hastings' cross-examination of the midwife turned Ob-Gyn important?

7. Why was it important for the prosecution to make the point that Anne was an enthusiastic student who did not believe in interfering with birth unless absolutely necessary?

8. What was significant about the manner in which Sibyl stitched Charlotte's body?

9. Why did Tanner say that Sibyl should have called an ambulance toward the beginning of the delivery?

10. Why was the medical examiner's testimony particularly harmful to Sibyl's defense?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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?

Essay Topic 2

Why does Sibyl choose to refuse any settlement agreements? What does this reveal about her? How does her decision affect Connie?

Essay Topic 3

What evidence is there that Connie's relationship with her mother changes as the story progresses? Why does the relationship change? What is the state of Connie's relationship with her mother before Sibyl's death?

(see the answer keys)

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