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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 Jo think right after Dave puts a ring on her finger at their wedding?

2. Who does Dave tell Jo he is having an affair with?

3. What was the name of the synagogue Jo's and Bethie's family attended in Detroit?

4. Jo's husband Dave likes to say that behind every great fortune there is which of the following?

5. What idea does Shelley toy with in Part III for her plans after college?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is a significant complication of Harold's and Bethie's relationship?

2. How does Jo remember the night Shelley came to find her in 1976?

3. What is Bethie's impression of Jo's state of mind when she visits her in Connecticut?

4. What do many of Jo's neighbors say during Bethie's consciousness-raising exercise about their lives in Part IV?

5. What does Jo find in Shelley's closet that prompts a huge fight between them?

6. Why does Jo eventually relent and decide to marry Dave Braverman?

7. What are Shelley and Jo supposed to do after graduation?

8. In Part III, what is one major frustration Jo has with Shelley?

9. Why does Jo go to Shelley's wedding in Part III?

10. What kinds of difficulties does Jo experience with her youngest daughter Lila?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Why is Harold Jefferson reluctant to get into a serious relationship with Bethie, even though he likes her very much? How does Bethie expect her mother Sarah to react to her relationship with Harold, a black man? Once Bethie and Harold begin their romance and reveal their relationship to their families, how do their families react? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 2

Why does Jo end up going to Shelley's wedding, and how does her experience there change the course of her life forever? Why does Jo finally agree to marry a man? Write an essay explaining your answers.

Essay Topic 3

How does Weiner's choice to alternate between the viewpoints of Bethie and Jo throughout the novel affect the reader's experience of the novel? Write an essay explaining your answers.

(see the answer keys)

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