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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 do as he thinks about his next victim?

2. What do Nate and Ben discuss with Willa?

3. When does Jesse's abuse of Lily begin?

4. What is Willa doing when Ben finds her on the couch?

5. About what does Sarah worry?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What does Lily tell Adam about her life?

3. What does the killer do after the New Year's Eve party?

4. Why is Ben's mother, Sarah, concerned about him and what does he tell her?

5. 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?

6. With whom does Willa meet to make sure she is adhering to the rules of the will, what does Willa tell them, and what do they think about her ideas?

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

8. Where does Tess go after the funeral, who is her mother, and what is her mother like? Why did her mother marry her father?

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

10. What does Willa think is the reason her father set the will up as he did?

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

Many readers of fiction place themselves in the position of one character, wondering if they would do the same thing as that character. Discuss the following:

1. Do you think one of the values of literature is to serve as a reflection of oneself? Why or why not?

2. Socrates said "Know thyself." How can reading a book such as Montana Sky help a reader to know him/herself? Do you find yourself reflecting on your own character and abilities when reading Montana Sky? Why or why not?

3. Choose one specific incident in Montana Sky to discuss and compare Willa's response to how you think you would respond.

Essay Topic 3

Jack Mercy married three times and considered each marriage a failure when his wife had a daughter. His last daughter lived at the ranch with him, trying unsuccessfully to earn her father's approval.

1. Do you believe the fact that Jack Mercy lived on a ranch in Montana influenced his intense desire for a son? In other words, do you think a doctor in New York City would have been more likely to not care whether his child was a boy or girl? Why or why not? Use examples from the book to support your answer.

2. In many places in the past, and even in the present, female babies were often killed or left out in the elements to die. This has social as well as moral repercussions, for example, in China at present, males are having a difficult time finding a wife because the ratio of men to women is so skewed from female infanticide. Discuss the moral or social implications of cultures which prefer male to female babies. Use examples from the book to help illustrate your answer.

3. In many countries where there is a bias towards male children, even the mother participants in that bias. Discuss the implications for the mental and emotional health of females raised in a culture where such bias exists.

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