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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. How does Garnett refer to Lusa?

2. Jewel says that her painkillers make her stupid as a what?

3. In Chapter 24, Jewel is talking about dying. What is one thing that she will regret not seeing?

4. What does Deanna do with Eddie's note?

5. What is Deanna afraid of, in Chapter 29?

Short Essay Questions

1. In Chapter 16, why is Deanna embarrassed when Jerry brings her supplies?

2. In Chapter 25, what does Deanna remember as the closest thing to an explanation of the birds and the bees that she ever got?

3. In Chapter 23, what are Garnett and Nannie's differing views on old age?

4. In Chapter 30, Lusa starts to think of Cole in a different manner. What is this?

5. What do Nannie and Garnett call each other, at the end of Chapter 28?

6. Why does Deanna think that falling trees will never crush her cabin?

7. Why is the first cold day a day that Deanna will never forget?

8. In Chapter 19, Deanna is exhibiting what symptoms that causes Eddie to think that she is anemic and Deanna to think she is menopausal?

9. What reasons does Lusa give Jewel for wanting to adopt her children?

10. What does the snake, leaving the cabin, symbolize for Deanna, in Chapter 22?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Deanna and Lusa are both strong women, each in her own right. Which woman do you believe to be the stronger overall? Give three examples to support this and explain why you chose one and not the other.

Essay Topic 2

Man vs. nature is a common theme in "Prodigal Summer". Explain Deanna's theory of predation, as it relates to predators and prey. Cite examples that she lists in the book. If predators are killed or die at a faster rate than prey, what are some of the outcomes that she predicts will happen? What could the effect on humans be?

Essay Topic 3

Farmers and ranchers have long been at odds with conservationists, who believe in protecting predators. Give one example from the book to defend each side of the controversy. Do you feel that we, as a society, have an obligation to protect all species, in order to keep the eco-system intact? On the other hand, do we have an obligation to ourselves and our families to protect what is ours, in order to sustain our own existence?

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