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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 color cape is Sunny wearing when Hauser, Schiff, and Macauley drive up to Three Chairs?

2. When did Rocky dig up cedar fence posts and replant them over the last remaining water dome on his property?

3. Where was Lou's iron lung kept when she had to use it?

4. What instrument does Cas play?

5. How many hours a day do stoop laborers work picking things like strawberries, tomatoes, melons, spinach, cotton, or rice?

Short Essay Questions

1. What work has Schiff done as a civil servant?

2. Why are Rocky, Sunny, and Cas worried when they hear about the bombing at Pearl Harbor?

3. On Rocky's first walk after his wife died, what did he find?

4. What thoughts does Rocky have about him and Stryker and other fathers and sons?

5. Why is Schiff invited to dinner at Three Chairs?

6. What would have been Schiff's dream job?

7. Why is Schiff in California?

8. What does Schiff tell Sunny about his mother's cooking?

9. What is sense memory?

10. Within hours of arriving in Lone Pine, what progress does Lt. Jay Svevo make?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Wiggins had a stroke during the writing of Properties of Thirst. What challenges did Wiggins have to overcome in order to finish the book? How was she able to overcome those challenges?

Essay Topic 2

Imagery is a literary device authors use to describe characters and the world they inhabit. Imagery involves using the five senses to describe characters, places, and things. How does Wiggins use imagery to help readers imagine the world and characters she has created?

Essay Topic 3

Setting is the place and time where a narrative takes place. What is the main setting in Properties of Thirst? How does the setting evoke feelings or set the mood in the book?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 987 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample