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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 Luca find Claire, soon after her birth?

2. What is a metaphor used by the narrator for Annie being freed from her own family by spending time with the Kahns?

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

4. How does Sarah describe the smile Annie gives her in Chapter 23?

5. How does Annie know Sofie?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. How does Frieda acknowledging Graham's affair get her into a tough situation with Annie?

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

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

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

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

7. How does Annie feel about heading to Vermont at the beginning of Chapter 15?

8. When Annie sees Sofie Kahn's name on the announcement board, how does she react?

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

10. What bonded Annie and Sofie?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Both Sarah and Lucas harbor ill feelings and/or resentment towards their mothers. Why do they feel this way? Should the mothers be blamed for how their children feel? Why or why not? Could these relationships be healed? If so, how? If not, why not?

Essay Topic 2

The novel begins with the narrator describing the end of both Annie and Graham's first marriages. What does the reader learn about the ex-spouses, as well as both Annie and Graham? What might be the purpose for starting out the book this way? What tone does it set? Are these details about Annie and Graham's lives important? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 3

Annie spends a great deal of time thinking about her old friend, Sofie Kahn. Why is Sofie so important to Annie's story? How does it help the reader better understand Annie? How has Annie's childhood influenced her adulthood?

(see the answer keys)

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