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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. What does Randolph drink at dinner in Chapter 4?

2. Who feels a deep chill when the religious service is interrupted?

3. Who smokes cigarettes during dinner in Chapter 4?

4. To where does Jesus Fever's granddaughter tell Joel she plans to move after her grandfather dies?

5. What causes the religious service to be interrupted in Chapter 3?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the nature of the letter Joel receives from his father in Chapter 1?

2. How does Randolph describe his feelings towards Pepe Alvarez to Joel?

3. What does Zoo say happened to her on her way to Washington, D.C.?

4. What is the nature of Joel's first conversation with Florabel?

5. How is Miss Wisteria described when Joel and Idabel first meet her?

6. What does Sydney Katz ask of Sam Radclif at the beginning of the book?

7. What is the nature of Joel and Florabel's conversation in Chapter 5?

8. How does Little Sunshine describe the Cloud Hotel?

9. What is the nature of Idabel and Joel's discussion when she visits him in Chapter 10?

10. What happens when a red ball rolls into the parlor in Chapter 4?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Examine the symbolism of birds in the book. In what way might the bird trapped in Joel's room represent his own plight at the Landing and his inability to find love and comfort?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the possible symbolism for Idabel's colored glasses in the book. In what way might Idabel's offering Joel her colored glasses be symbolic of her trying to shelter him from the harshness of life when you are an outsider?

Essay Topic 3

A common theme represented in many of the characters in the book is a sense of isolation.

Part 1.) How have the residents of Skully's Landing purposefully isolated themselves from outsiders, and what motivations do they have for doing this? Part 2.) How has Joel created a sense of comfort within his isolation, and what is telling of his character based on this action?

Part 3.) What might the author be saying about the nature of the book's main characters based on their willing participation in their own isolation?

(see the answer keys)

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