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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. How does Sarah describe how she felt about her home as a child?

2. When Annie returns from Frieda's, how does she look to Sarah, at the beginning of Chapter 23?

3. How does Annie feel as the kids scatter Graham's ashes?

4. How does Annie feel about Sofie's accomplishments?

5. What gift had helped propel Annie into her career as a photographer?

Short Essay Questions

1. How do Sarah and Lucas find themselves in the same situation regarding their parents and their expectations of them?

2. How does Frieda feel, in the end, about hearing Annie constantly vent about Graham's betrayal?

3. How do Lucas' feelings towards Claire change at the end of Chapter 26?

4. How does Frieda begin to feel admiration for Jeanne for keeping her out of the spreading of Graham's ashes?

5. How does being a caretaker of Claire make Frieda feel?

6. How does Annie's childhood home compare to that of Sofie's?

7. Why does Annie feel relief when Sarah leaves at the beginning of Chapter 14?

8. How does Frieda believe one can manage in life?

9. What does the memory of the man in the park mean for Annie?

10. How does Annie's feelings towards Mike's behavior change over time?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Sarah decides to not share with her family that she is in a serious relationship with Thomas. Why does she keep this relationship a secret? What does this secrecy reveal about her relationships with others in this story? How does it reflect the way she saw her parents’ relationship?

Essay Topic 2

Both Sarah and Lucas have similar relationships with their mothers. Describe these relationships. How do these relationships compare to the ones they have with their stepmothers? Why might these relationships be the way they are? What does Sarah realize about both her and Lucas' desires regarding their parents? What role does their father play in these family dynamics?

Essay Topic 3

The novel ends with Annie grieving again over the loss of Graham. How has her grief changed over the course of the novel? What has led to these changes? What does this reveal about the complexities of grief?

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