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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 does the man with the bloody knife say?

2. What does Lily say to Adam?

3. What do Nate and Ben discuss with Willa?

4. Who has the flu?

5. What does Ben tell his mother?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Jesse Cooke feel about what is happening at the Mercy ranch and what does he plan to do?

2. What does Lily tell Adam about her life?

3. What does the will say about the ranch?

4. What do Willa and Ben find the day after the funeral, how do they find it, and what do they do about it?

5. What do Nate, Adam and Ben do after the party and the discovery outside?

6. With what is Willa have trouble with the ranch hands, who takes offense at her, and what does he do about it?

7. With whom is Tess speaking on the phone at the wake, what does she tell the person, and what is Tess's intent concerning after the funeral?

8. What does Willa teach her sisters in Chapter 15 and what does Tess do after that?

9. Whose funeral is happening in the beginning of the book, what kind of a person was he and how does his daughter feel about the people at the wake?

10. Why do Tess, Lily and Adam ride out in the snow, what do they see, why do they argue, and what interrupts their argument?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Characters are an important part of what makes Montana Sky interesting. Discuss the following "good" characters:

1. Thoroughly discuss and analyze Willa. What are her strengths? Her weaknesses? How does she contribute to the plot? Is she a sympathetic character? Is she always likable? Never likable? Use specific examples to illustrate your ideas.

2. Thoroughly discuss and analyze Ben. What are his strengths? His weaknesses? How does he contribute to the plot? Is he a sympathetic character? Is he always likable? Never likable? Use specific examples to illustrate your ideas.

3. Thoroughly discuss and analyze Adam. What are his strengths? His weaknesses? How does he contribute to the plot? Is he a sympathetic character? Is he always likable? Never likable? Use specific examples to illustrate your ideas.

Essay Topic 2

In most fiction, readers would like all the loose ends to be neatly "tied up." Discuss the following:

1. Do you think Montana Sky is successful as a mystery novel? Why or why not?

2. What about this book would motivate you to read another of Nora Roberts alphabet series? What would discourage you from doing so?

3. Were all the "loose ends" satisfactorily settled for you? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 3

In this book, three sisters meet, live together for a year, meet men and end up either married or ready to be married. The plot is almost unbelievable.

1. With research, define narrative contrivance and use two situations from Montana Sky to support your definition.

2. Discuss the following statement: Narrative contrivances detract from a book if they are too unbelievable.

3. Do you think the author could have written a better book if she had not made the situation of three sisters meeting three men and just happen to fall in love with those three men all living in a small town? Explain what might have been more believable.

(see the answer keys)

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