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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 Victoria need on her lunch break?

2. Where does Maggie Jones drive?

3. Why do Ike and Bobby leave the place where they took their classmate?

4. What does Mrs. Stearn want before paying Ike and Bobby?

5. Where does Victoria spend the night?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the conversation Tom Guthrie and Lloyd Crowder have about Russell Beckman's grade in American History.

2. What does Victoria tell Maggie about the baby's father?

3. What does Mrs. Stearns do with Ike and Bobby while the cookies are baking? What does she tell them?

4. What does Maggie tell Victoria she has to do to make certain she is pregnant, what is the result and what does Maggie then tell Victoria she will do? What does Victoria ask Maggie?

5. Who does Victoria call on her way to Maggie's house one evening and what happens with that situation?

6. When does Victoria go into labor, how does she handle it and how do the McPherons handle it? What does she deliver?

7. What happens when Guthrie goes to speak to Russell about what he did to Ike and Bobby?

8. What does Russell and a friend do to Ike and Bobby?

9. What do Ike and Bobby do before school at the beginning of the book?

10. What does Victoria do when Dwayne comes home drunk at three in the morning? What does he do?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Many readers of fiction place themselves in the position of one character, wondering if they would do the same thing as that character. Discuss the following:

1. Do you think one of the values of literature is to serve as a reflection of oneself? Why or why not?

2. Socrates said "Know thyself." How can reading a book such as Regeneration help a reader to know him/herself? Do you find yourself reflecting on your own character and abilities when reading Plainsong? Why or why not.

3. Choose one specific incident in Plainsongto discuss and compare one of the characters' response to how you think you would respond.

Essay Topic 2

We can infer that Victoria is accustomed to verbal abuse from her mother because she does not seem alarmed until her mother says she will kick Victoria out of the house. Prior to that, Victoria listened to her mother's abusive name calling as if it were a normal occurrence.

1. Do you think verbal fighting and name calling is abuse? Do you think it should be illegal for a parent to do that? Why or why not?

2. How do you think Victoria's mother's verbal abuse of her daughter affects her daughter? Use examples from the text to support your answer.

3. Why do you think a parent would kick a daughter out of the house is she became pregnant? Discuss what you would do if Victoria was your daughter.

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the following:

1. What is a plot? What are the most important elements of a plot and their definition? Do all novels have a plot? Why or why not?

2. Write a brief synopsis of the plot of Plainsong, identifying where the various elements of the plot occur (Exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution or denouement). Do you find it difficult to identify the plot? Why or why not? What about the various elements of the plot?

3. Identify the major sub-plots and their elements (They may not contain every element of a major plot). Do the sub-plots add to the main plot? Why or why not. Are the sub-plots interesting in and of themselves? Why or why not.

(see the answer keys)

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