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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 are the bridesmaids?

2. What is Judge's prognosis after surgery?

3. How long after Judge met Fay did they get married?

4. Why is Fay unhappy with Judge's circumstances?

5. What shocks Laurel about her parent's bedroom?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Laurel want to find her mother's letters?

2. How does gossip affect the plot in Part 3, Chapter 1?

3. Do you think Fay's behavior is appropriate in Chapter 2?

4. Why does Laurel feel trapped in her parent's, now Fay's, bedroom?

5. How does Fay react to the waiting crowd?

6. What does the red paint on her father's desk represent to Laurel?

7. Who else does Laurel grieve in Part 3, Chapter 4?

8. What does Part 2, Chapter 4 say about the characters of Laurel and Fay?

9. Describe Judge and Laurel's relationship as shown in Chapter 2.

10. Describe Fay.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss optimism. Was Judge really an optimist? How did Judge define optimism? Is this a true definition of optimism? How did Laurel define optimism? Was she an optimist at the beginning of the novel? Was she an optimist at the end of the novel?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss Judge's depression. Why did he become depressed after surgery? Who had the largest impact on Judge's emotional state? Why? How did Laurel try to relieve Judge's depression? Was she successful? Was Judge's depression a hurdle to his recovery? How?

Essay Topic 3

Why is Judge reluctant to engage in confrontations? Is this unusual for a man who makes his living as a judge? How did this reluctance to argue affect Judge's marriages? How did Judge's first wife feel about his reluctance to deal with her anger or her health issues? How did Laurel feel about it? Did this behavior save Judge from emotional entanglements, or make them worse? How?

(see the answer keys)

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