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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 is Damian's father?

2. What phrase comes inexplicably into Damian's head as he ponders his discontent in Chapter 2?

3. What does Michael do in the end of Chapter 5 that annoys Melissa greatly?

4. What is a problem with the room in Michael's and Melissa's house where the children sleep?

5. What was one metric by which the success of the party in Chapter 1 was measured?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Mrs. Jackson need help in Chapter 3?

2. How does Damian feel about Melissa?

3. What game does Ria want to play with Damian's and Stephanie's children in Chapter 3?

4. What is Melissa and Michael's address and why is this significant?

5. What is the short poem that begins the novel about, and who wrote it?

6. What does Michael find himself doing that he knows is a bad idea at the end of Chapter 4 because he is frustrated and lonely?

7. Why does Melissa want to try to deliver her second baby in the way she chooses?

8. Why is Michael so late to his engagement with Ria in Chapter 6?

9. Before having her second child, where did Melissa work and what did she do?

10. What does Michael end up talking to Rachel, the receptionist at his office, about in Chapter 6?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What does marriage seem to represent for Melissa? Do you think the problems in Michael's and Melissa's relationships have anything to do with the fact that they are not married? Write an essay explaining your answer, citing specific references to the text to support your answer.

Essay Topic 2

How important is race to Michael in the context of a romantic relationship? Write an essay explaining your answer, citing specific references to the text to support your arguments.

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay analyzing the reasons Melissa feels so angry, upset, and discontented with her life as the primary caregiver for her two young children.

(see the answer keys)

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