View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. How much money does Abilene have when she travels to Manifest?

2. How well-made is Miss Sadie's gate?

3. How much money do Jinx and Ned make in their business venture?

4. Where is Miss Sadie injured?

5. What reason does Ned give that immigrants come to the town?

Short Essay Questions

1. How are the miners paid?

2. On June 13, 1936, what does Abilene think about while she works?

3. What newspaper clipping does Abilene show Lettie and Ruthanne at the end of "Likely Suspects"?

4. What does the fireworks man show Ned and Jinx?

5. What do Jinx and the boy he made the trade with see while they are hiding in the bushes?

6. What do Abilene and her friends find in the woods?

7. What does Shady's Place look like?

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

9. Why do Lance Devlin and Ned fight?

10. What is the plan to make money from the Victory Quilt?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss proving yourself to others in the novel.

1) Why does Ned go off to war? Why does he need to prove himself?

2) How do the characters in the town prove themselves to others, so that the town can cooperate?

3) How does Jinx prove himself to others in the town? How does he see himself, compared to how others see him?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the unknown, fear, and mistrust in the novel.

1) How does fear of the unknown affect the townspeople's views of others from different cultures? How does it affect the townspeople's view of Miss Sadie in both time periods?

2) What causes mistrust in the town? Who does mistrust hurt and benefit?

3) How does Abilene view the unknown? How is her attitude different from others in the town?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the structure of the novel, which is non-linear, divided between two timelines.

1) How does the writer use letters and articles as part of the structure of the novel? How does the author use Miss Sadie's stories?

2) Why is the story told non-linearly, moving between a past and present timeline? How does this affect the story?

3) What other structural elements and transitions does the writer use and why?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 736 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample