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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. Lady Marsden was known to be a master at _________________.

2. Who is Castalia?

3. What item did Will get from a dying Union soldier?

4. What is Lucy's notoriety in the nursing home?

5. What does Will purchase when he returns home from visiting the Utts?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is Will's behavior at the site where Ned was killed?

2. How does the novel begin?

3. Why is Lucy concerned for Will during the family's trip to view Civil War sites?

4. How did the slaves treat Lady Marsden after she was burned in the fire at The Lilacs?

5. How did Will become famous for telling his war stories?

6. How does Lucy first meet Castalia?

7. Even though Lucy is younger than Will, how does she view him regarding his emotional war wounds?

8. What is the irony of Sal Smith's situation when Will sees him again many years later?

9. How did Ned Smythe's mother react to news of his death?

10. Which person does Lucy select as the topic of her paper on the Civil War, and how does she glean her information?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Create a brief character study of Lucy Marsden. What does she look like? What are her positive personality traits? What are some of her negative characteristics? What are her hopes and fears? What motivates her during her lifetime?

Essay Topic 2

Create a brief character study of Will Marsden. What does he look like? What are his positive personality traits? What are some of his negative characteristics? What are his hopes and fears? What motivates him during his lifetime?

Essay Topic 3

The author begins the story in the present day and tells the story through a series of flashbacks. Why did he choose to tell his story this way? In what way is a flashback technique more interesting for a reader? In what ways is it more complicated?

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This section contains 949 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample