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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. Ma used to arrange the items on the shelf _____________________.

2. Billie Jo feels _____________ in the presence of her father.

3. How does Billie Jo test the difference between snow and dust?

4. Why is Mad Dog leaving?

5. What does Billie Jo take with her when she leaves in the middle of the night?

Short Essay Questions

1. With whom does Billie Jo share a train car for a short while? Explain that experience and what it teaches Billie Jo.

2. What is the content of the letter Aunt Ellis sends to Billie Jo?

3. How can something as normal as rain be viewed as special to Billie Jo and the people in town?

4. Who is Louise?

5. What immediate plans to Billie Jo and Daddy make to begin healing?

6. How does Billie Jo block Louise's entry into a part of their lives?

7. Why are the migrant workers leaving the area in such large numbers?

8. How did Billie Jo's time away change the relationship between her and her father?

9. Billie Jo has not taken any interest in cleaning the house until she sees someone else scrubbing hardened mud. What does this prompt Billie Jo to do and why does she feel haunted by Ma in her actions?

10. How does the lack of a mother make Billie Jo unsure of how to manage her feelings about Mad Dog?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What important life lesson does Billie Jo learn from the man on the train? Explain.

Essay Topic 2

Write a character sketch of Billie Jo. Be sure to include both physical and emotional characteristics as well as personal motivations, fears, etc.

Essay Topic 3

At the end of the story, Louise places a bowl of perfect apples on the shelf. What is the significance of the apples to Billie Jo and to the story overall? Explain.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,066 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample