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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Where did Molly live before she went into foster care?
(a) Indian Island, Maine.
(b) Minneapolis, Minnesota.
(c) New York, New York.
(d) Boston, Massachusetts.

2. Where does Molly live with her foster parents in the novel?
(a) Bangor, Maine.
(b) Portland, Maine.
(c) Dover, Massachusetts.
(d) Spruce Harbor, Maine.

3. In what year is the contemporary narrative of Orphan Train set?
(a) 1999.
(b) 2011.
(c) 2013.
(d) 2003.

4. What does Vivian do with her copy of Anne of Green Gables that is found in the attic?
(a) She gives it to Terry.
(b) She gives it to Molly.
(c) She burns it.
(d) She throws it away.

5. Who is Molly's English teacher?
(a) Mr. Sorenson.
(b) Mrs. Murphy.
(c) Mrs. Grote.
(d) Mrs. Tate.

Short Answer Questions

1. What is the name of Molly's foster mother?

2. Who is the author of the poem "Ode on a Grecian Urn" that Vivian recites in Section 2?

3. What was the name of Vivian's younger sister?

4. What does the narrator say in Section 1 is the thing that Molly hates the most about being in the foster care system?

5. What is the full name of the protagonist in Anne of Green Gables?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does the structure of the novel contribute to the theme of the past's influence on the present?

2. How would you describe Molly's emotional shield in the beginning of the story? What led to the development of this shield?

3. Where is Vivian first adopted from the orphan train? Who adopts her? What is this couple's motivation for adoption?

4. What conversation takes place between Vivian and Dutchy on the orphan train in Minneapolis?

5. Describe the process of adoption from the orphan trains. What stands out the most to you about the depictions of these transactions in the novel?

6. How would you describe Vivian's relationships with her fellow workers at the clothing manufacturing company owned by the Byrnes?

7. How would you describe Vivian's objectives as she and Molly begin working in the attic in Section 2?

8. Discuss the literary allusions in the novel. What two literary works are referenced repeatedly? What do these books have in common with the characters of Orphan train?

9. What happens when the orphan train stops in Minneapolis, Minnesota, according to Vivian's narrative in Section 2? Who is adopted at this stop?

10. What is Molly's function in the narrative? How has Molly's past influenced her character in the beginning of the story?

(see the answer keys)

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