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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 shows a surprising affinity for basketball in Chapter Seven?

2. What secret does Bessie reveal about her mother's death in Chapter Six?

3. What does Bessie tell Lillian about the fire in Chapter Nine?

4. Where does Lillian find the twins after they disappear in Chapter Six?

5. Where does Jasper give a press conference in Chapter Ten?

Short Essay Questions

1. To what activities does Lillian introduce the twins in Chapter Six?

2. Why do the twins run away in Chapter Six? Where do they go?

3. What does Lillian teach the children at the start of Chapter Seven? What is the result?

4. Who is Dr. Cannon? What does he tell Lillian about himself?

5. What happens at the library in Chapter Eight?

6. What does Lillian think when the twins run away in Chapter Six?

7. Why does Carl tell Lillian in Chapter Six? What does she do?

8. What is Lillian's opinion regarding having her own children, as revealed in Chapter Eight?

9. What does Bessie admit about the fire in Chapter Nine?

10. How does Madison feel about Jasper's promotion, as she explains in Chapter Nine? Why?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss Carl’s contradictory characteristics. In what ways is he a good person? In what ways is he a bad one?

Essay Topic 2

In what ways is the novel a celebration of being weird? Evaluate the role of weirdness in the novel, using textual evidence for support.

Essay Topic 3

Appearances in the story can be deceiving. How do appearances differ from reality in this story? Discuss three characters, objects, or situations and how this idea applies to each.

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