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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. Who is Henry's brother?

2. What does JJ call Sylvia?

3. What is Ava's greatest wish?

4. Who does JJ remind Sylvia of?

5. What is Jonnie's and Mae's relationship?

Short Essay Questions

1. What happens in Chapter 12 when Sylvia calls Devon?

2. What kinds of things does Sylvia encourage Marcus to do?

3. What problem has Ava been struggling with for years that becomes apparent in Chapter 3?

4. What was Sylvia's impression of Alice Graham, JJ's grandmother who took him in after his father killed his mother?

5. What area of her property does Sylvia devote special care and attention to?

6. How does Ava react to seeing Henry's son for the first time when she comes across him in Walmart in Chapter 15?

7. What is the relationship between Mae and Jonnie Norwood, who co-run the restaurant called Sisters?

8. What was the original purpose of Development Drive, where Sylvia's house is?

9. What name does JJ tell Sylvia he goes by now in Chapter 10?

10. How do Marcus and Sylvia first become connected?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Sylvia and Ava have a loving - but complicated - mother-daughter relationship. Write an essay analyzing the nature of Sylvia's and Ava's relationship, exploring the events from their past and their shared family history that contribute significantly to the tensions between them.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay analyzing why Sylvia decides to go to Charlotte's house on Marcus's behalf in Chapter 35 even after she lost her nerve the first time.

Essay Topic 3

Many of the women in the novel - Sylvia, Ava, Carrie, and Jonnie, to name a few - are strong and resilient, but they deal with men who have betrayed or let them down in various ways. Pick two female characters who have been hurt by their relationships with men and compare and contrast how they deal with the betrayals.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 608 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample