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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. Why does the store clerk give Harriet and Ione a free item in Chapter 7?

2. What does Thor hit his head on in Chapter 6?

3. Why does Avel pay for Harriet's tuition to a music school?

4. How does Patty Jane change the longer Thor is gone?

5. What does Thor imagine during the photo shoot in Chapter 5?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Ione notice as Patty Jane's pregnancy becomes more obvious?

2. What is the cause of the argument between Patty Jane and Thor in the grocery store?

3. Where does Thor go after his argument with Patty Jane in the grocery store?

4. How does Avel feel about his sisters? Why do Avel's sisters tell him he and Harriet must put off their wedding.

5. Where is "Patty Jane's House of Curl" set? What is the community like?

6. What does Patty Jane announce to Thor on the morning after their wedding? How do people react to the announcement?

7. How does Patty Jane and Ione's relationship change during Patty Jane's pregnancy?

8. What does Harriet show Avel when he returns to town in Chapter 6?

9. Why is Avel happy about the fight in the bar which happens on New Year's Eve?

10. What happens two days after Thor goes missing? What does Avel do to find Thor?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the motif of grief in the novel. What are some examples of grief or grieving in the novel? Why are the characters grieving in these examples?

Essay Topic 2

Analyze and interpret the parent-child relationships in the novel. Discuss the ups and downs of the following relationships:

a) Patty Jane and Nora

b) Ione and Thor

c) Thor and Nora

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the motif of alcoholism in the novel "Patty Jane's House of Curl." What are some examples of when alcohol leads to problems for the characters, particularly Harriet. How did Patty Jane's and Harriet's parents' alcoholism affect them?

(see the answer keys)

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