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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 kind of sandwiches do the girls eat while they are out searching?

2. When Ruthanne's uncle comes back the next morning to investigate the sound, what does he find in one of his traps?

3. What is Billy Clayton doing, when Abilene runs across him?

4. Who do Abilene and her friends think left the note they find?

5. What booth does Ned go to?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Abilene think of Miss Sadie's yard?

2. How are the miners paid?

3. What indication of the KKK's activities do Shady and Jinx see?

4. What assignment does the teacher give Abilene to complete over the summer?

5. What noise does Abilene hear while she and her friends are out hunting?

6. What do Abilene and her friends think is strange about the way Miss Sadie talks about herself in her stories?

7. Where does Abilene decide to put her valuables before going to sleep?

8. Why does Miss Sadie want Abilene to work around her house?

9. How did Jinx become separated from his uncle?

10. When does Abilene discover that she has lost an item?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Objects and mementos play an important role in uncovering and understanding the past. Discuss importance of objects in revealing the past in the novel.

1) Why do characters keep objects from the past? How do objects connect the characters to the past?

2) How do objects serve as clues for Abilene to recover the past and understand it?

3) What are the limitations of objects in revealing and remembering the past?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss work in the novel.

1) What creates the desire to work in the novel? What do the characters want to work on, such as Hattie Mae's column or Jinx's fireworks?

2) What is the meaning of work in the novel? How does work give satisfaction as well as money? Does work such as Abilene's work in Miss Sadie's garden have meaning beyond the payment for the work?

3) How does work in the mines compare to other kinds of work characters do in the novel? What significance do the bad working conditions for the miners have?

Essay Topic 3

One of the main themes of the novel is prejudice. Discuss the following:

1) What problems does prejudice cause for the people of the town? What are the causes of the people's prejudice? Who does prejudice help and who does it hurt?

2) How does prejudice affect Ned and Miss Sadie? How does prejudice affect Jinx? How does the town overcome prejudice?

3) How does prejudice affect the town in the 1930s when Abilene arrives?

(see the answer keys)

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