View a FREE sample

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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. How many rooms comprise Vivian's house?
(a) 22.
(b) 14.
(c) 10.
(d) 5.

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

3. What is the one item of jewelry that Vivian has retained from her early childhood on the orphan train in 1929?
(a) A claddagh cross.
(b) A diamond bracelet.
(c) A ruby ring.
(d) A turtle pendant.

4. Where did Joseph Plunkett marry Grace Gifford just hours before his execution?
(a) The Kilcommon jail chapel.
(b) The Kilmainham jail chapel.
(c) The County Galway Courthouse.
(d) The County Mayo Courthouse.

5. What is Molly's foster mother's profession?
(a) Chief Executive of a jewelry chain.
(b) Police dispatcher.
(c) Ambulance driver.
(d) Advertiser.

Short Answer Questions

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

2. Michael Collins was an Irish revolutionary leader and was the President of what organization?

3. Of what does Vivian say in the Prologue, "Many times in my life I have felt them around me, observing, witnessing, when no one in the living world knew or cared what happened"?

4. Who gave Vivian the copy of Anne of Green Gables that she finds in the attic?

5. How would you describe Molly's sense of style in the beginning of the novel?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Vivian trigger the beginning of Molly's transformation of character in Section 2?

2. 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?

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

4. How would you describe the "historical" aspects of the novel? Is the author effective in illustrating the historical realities of the time period?

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

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

7. 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?

8. How is the theme of identity illustrated through Vivian's narratives of the past in Section 2?

9. What similarities of circumstance are established between the characters of Vivian and Molly in the beginning of the novel?

10. What aspects of foreshadowing can be seen in the Prologue to Orphan Train?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,036 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample