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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 tree does May plant a clipping from at her job?

2. Where did May's mother grow up?

3. Which writer did May admire in Part I?

4. When does May think her mother stopped moving forward?

5. What happens to May's father at the end of the summer?

Short Essay Questions

1. What kind of relationships does May have with her neighbors?

2. Why does May dislike cut flowers?

3. What does May use to guide her manners on her trips to see friends, and why?

4. What idea for visiting does May run by Sue?

5. What does May think of Lindy's life and situation?

6. What does May think about her cat, Hester?

7. What does May say when Lindy says she had been thinking about having a party for her?

8. What good memory does May mull over of time with her mother in Part II?

9. What tragic figure from early literature does May recall who had no friends?

10. Who does May live with?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What is the meaning and significance of May's Night-Blooming Cereus party? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 2

What changes does May make in her life largely as a result of her visits to her friends during her sabbatical year? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 3

What do you think is Kane's purpose in inserting May's allusions and references to famous works of literature throughout the novel? What effect do these allusions and references have on the reader and the reader's understanding of May's character? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 545 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample