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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 does Lana tell Sylvia that Sylvia needs to call in Chapter 22?

2. Who calls Ava at the beginning of Chapter 19 who she has not spoken to in years?

3. What bizarre incident had happened to Ava's old friend's Kim's young daughter?

4. What is the yard around JJ's house like in Chapter 26?

5. What does JJ do with his father as a child that he remembers in Chapter 27?

Short Essay Questions

1. In Chapter 27, what does JJ remember about doing together with his father when he was a child?

2. Why does Sylvia go with Ava to the doctor every time she goes to get a pregnancy-related test?

3. Why does Sylvia seem to decide she can not help Marcus any longer in Chapter 33?

4. What memory about working for a white family does Don share with Jonnie in Chapter 25?

5. What does Sylvia tell Lana about Devon in Chapter 29 that deeply disturbs Lana?

6. Why does Sylvia decide not to go through with her errand for Marcus in Chapter 22 after all?

7. What does Lana suggest that she and Sylvia do together in Chapter 29 to calm themselves a bit?

8. What does Jimmy Patterson try to do for Devon in Chapter 30?

9. What kinds of emotions does Sylvia experience the first time Ava brings her to JJ's house on Brushy Mountain Road?

10. When JJ calls Ava in Chapter 19, how does she realize her feelings for him differ from her feelings for Henry?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

Write an essay analyzing the meaning of JJ's dream in Chapter 44. What do you think Watts is trying to say about JJ's feelings about Ava, Pinewood, and JJ's own future?

Essay Topic 3

When did you first realize what had really happened to Devon? Write an essay exploring why Watts might have chosen to reveal Devon's fate so late in the novel. Cite specific references to the text to support your answer.

(see the answer keys)

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