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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. Why is the killer sorry to hurt Ham?

2. Who spies the fire's smoke?

3. What does Tess suggest after Willa confides in her?

4. Who wins the fight?

5. What wakes Lily briefly as she drifts in and out of sleep?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Lily confront her sisters and the men? What does she tell them?

2. What does the killer do to Lily?

3. Why do the three sisters drive the cattle into the mountains together and what do Willa and Ben discuss during the drive?

4. What do Willa and Ben do in Chapter 21 and how does Willa feel about it? What does Ben tell her?

5. What does Willa tease Ben about on the ride after she returns from the spa?

6. How do Ham and Willa reconcile after their fight and what does Ham do afterward?

7. Where do Adam and Willa find Jesse's jeep, what does Willa tell him, and what does Lily do about being abducted?

8. What two women arrive at the ranch for Lily's bridal shower and what does Nate tell Tess when they arrive?

9. How does the killer feel about Lily's wedding and what does he plan to do?

10. Who does Willa see after coming back to the ranch from the spa, what does she do and what does he tell her?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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.

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the following:

1. What is a plot? What are the most important elements of a plot and their definition? Do all novels have a plot? Why or why not?

2. Write a brief synopsis of the plot of Montana Sky, identifying where the various elements of the plot occur (exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution or denouement). Do you find it difficult to identify the plot? Why or why not? What about the various elements of the plot?

3. Identify the major sub-plots and their elements (They may not contain every element of a major plot). Do the sub-plots add to the main plot? Why or why not? Are the sub-plots interesting in and of themselves? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 3

Most protagonists are a mixture of admirable traits and character flaws, and Willa Mercy is no exception. Discuss the following:

1. Trace and analyze situations when Willa demonstrates her strengths. Give specific examples to illustrate your analysis.

2. Trace and analyze Willa's character flaws offering specific examples of these flaws in your discussion.

3. Discuss how you think Willa's admirable traits makes her popular and able to help with many problems of her family and friends. Have her flaws impacted her life? Do any of her friends notice these flaws? Who? How does the reader know this?

(see the answer keys)

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