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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 Ava say to Sylvia in Chapter 32 about Devon that is extremely painful for Sylvia to hear?

2. What happened to the money JJ's father had given him after winning his big hand of poker?

3. What drug do Sylvia and Lana take together in Chapter 29?

4. What was Ava's grandmother's name where she would spend Sundays sometimes?

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

Short Essay Questions

1. What is Ava's impression of James Martin, a man from her mother's past?

2. What happens between Devon and the unnamed old woman who he helps with cleaning her basement?

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

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

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

6. In Chapter 27, what does JJ remember about what happened in his childhood after his father won a big hand at poker?

7. What memory about burning trash in a barrel as a child does JJ share with Ava at Simmy's in Chapter 20?

8. What does Devon spend a large amount of time doing as a young man that many people would view as dangerous?

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay exploring the origins and nature of JJ's infatuation with and attraction toward Ava, noting how it seems to have evolved over the years. Cit specific references to the text in your answer.

Essay Topic 2

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.

Essay Topic 3

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.

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