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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. Who is the author of this story?

2. After Mother receives information from Sammy, what does she spend the day doing?

3. In Section 2, where does Nanny suggest that she be married?

4. From the introduction, how does the reader know that the protagonist will defy social convention?

5. What has Nanny Penn been doing during her parents' discussion about men digging in the field?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the minister's reaction to his conversation with Mother?

2. When Nanny arrives home from her trip to the store, what does she tell her mother about the house? What suggestion does she make?

3. How does Mother explain the decision that she made during Father's absence to him?

4. What does Mother do for Father before he leaves in Section 3?

5. Why is the decision that Mother makes during Father's absence so shocking in the context of this story?

6. What does Father finally tell Mother in response to the answer regarding the digging, and what is Mother's response?

7. What is Mother's response to her husband's answer to her inquiry about the digging, and how does her husband respond?

8. What is the scene on the farm as Father returns from his trip?

9. What does Mother say to Sammy and Nanny after the hay cart arrives and she is back in the house?

10. Describe the scene when the minister arrives to speak to Mother.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

There are many elements of conflict used throughout the story. Choose one of the following conflicts, and write an essay about how that conflict adds to the understanding of the plot of the story:

1) Conflict between Mother and Father

2) Conflict between Mother and Sammy

3) Conflict between Mother and the minister

4) Conflict between Father and Sammy

5) Conflict between Mother and the townspeople gossiping about what she did

Essay Topic 2

Does Mother have another choice in the story? Can she make any other decision? Write an essay explaining Mother's conflicts and the decision she makes and whether she has any other options available to her.

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay about tone used in the story as Mother is characterized. Mother is portrayed using sarcasm, anger, and submission. Does the author do an adequate job of developing these different tones of Mother's voice? Or does Mother appear to be erratic as she moves from one attitude to another so many times throughout the story?

(see the answer keys)

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