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This test consists of 5 short answer questions and 1 (of 3) essay topics.
Short Answer Questions
1. What is in the photo album Mrs. Stearns shows the boys?
2. Why does Mrs. Stearns give Ike and Bobby a key to her house?
3. What does Mr. Beckman threaten?
4. What does Guthrie find out a couple of days later about his visit to Judy's house?
5. What do Ike and Bobby notice about their mother at Christmas?
Essay Topics
Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:
Essay Topic 1
Discuss one of the following:
1. Trace and analyze the theme of change. Consider the following questions as you write: What characters are most concerned with change? Why? What are some symbols of change? Symbols of rigidity? What characters seem rigid?
2. Trace and analyze the theme of mental/emotional illness. Which characters struggle with some sort of emotional illness? Why? Which characters seem really healthy emotionally/mentally? Why?
3. Trace and analyze the theme of death. How did the death of Ike and Bobby's horse affect them? What about Mrs. Stearns? How was their reaction to both deaths similar and different?
4. Discuss why Ella Guthrie moving to Denver was a type of death for the Guthrie family. Use examples from the book to illustrate your discussion.
Essay Topic 2
Discuss the following:
1. What do you think are the characteristics of a successful novel?
2. Analyze and discuss Plainsong based upon the criteria you decide upon in #1 and judge if Plainsong is a successful novel. Explain your rationale with specific examples.
3. Do you think the fact that Plainsong is primarily for entertainment changes the criteria upon which its success should be judged? Explain.
Essay Topic 3
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.
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This section contains 500 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) |
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