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

2. What chore did Ava do at her grandmother's Sunday dinners?

3. How many weeks pregnant does Ava tell the people in the online chat room she is in Chapter 25?

4. What is the state of Jonnie and Don's relationship at the end of Chapter 24?

5. Who bought Devon some food at McDonald's in Chapter 30?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Ava do when she visits the reservoir with JJ in Chapter 34 that is dangerous and unexpected?

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

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

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

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

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

7. What happens when Joy's car breaks down and she needs to call her brother to give her and Devon a ride home in chapter 30?

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

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

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

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

Consider the quote, “Every town has a section where the people are rich and their lives so far from yours you almost expect them to speak another tongue” (2). Write an essay analyzing why JJ Ferguson's return to Pinewood, North Carolina and his construction of his mansion is so significant to the town's residents, exploring the emotions this event unleashes. Cite specific references to the text to support your answer.

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay exploring why Ava decides to leave JJ's house with Henry in Chapter 38, immediately following his failed suicide attempt. What did her actions portend about the future of hers and JJ's relationship?

(see the answer keys)

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