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. What does Lana tell Ava about discovering Henry's betrayal in Chapter 16?

2. What does Ava want Henry to do as soon as he gets home from work?

3. What is the name of the street that Sylvia's house is on?

4. Who does Don meet at Sisters whom he starts a romantic relationship with?

5. Who did JJ live with for most of his youth?

Short Essay Questions

1. What has happened to the town of Pinewood in recent years?

2. How does Sylvia feel about JJ Ferguson?

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

4. What does Sylvia offer to do for Marcus that she is hoping he will not take her up on?

5. How does Don feel about Jonnie's little girl, Sasha?

6. Who is the first person Ava confides in when she finds out Henry has a son he has never told her about?

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

8. Apart from the people in the online chat room, who is the first person Ava tells she is pregnant in Chapter 15?

9. Why does Sylvia resist the idea of going on a cruise with her sister Lana?

10. What happens between Henry and the fortune-teller in New Orleans in Chapter 5?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay exploring the relationship between Sylvia and Lana and how it is different from every other relationship in the novel.

Essay Topic 2

What do you think Sylvia means when she tells Frank Ferguson "There's no getting beyond some things" (353)? Write an essay explaining your answer, taking into account both Sylvia's and Frank's fraught relationships with their own children.

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay exploring why Ava goes to the reservoir with JJ in Chapter 34 and what realization she comes to after immersing herself in the water.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 659 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample