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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. Whom does Ian invite to the Church of the Second Chance's picnic?

2. Who starts a fire in the attic while trying to install an intercom?

3. What does Agatha bring for sharing hour at camp that comes from her mother's jewelry box?

4. What did the church women serve for dessert at the indoor picnic?

5. Who is watching her relative's large horse farm where the Church has an indoor picnic?

Short Essay Questions

1. How do Ian's suspicions about Lucy's behavior influence Danny's death?

2. How does Ian show himself to be a hero at the Church of the Second Chance indoor picnic?

3. What does "difficult ages" mean to Bee and why do they have their own table at family celebrations?

4. Explain Ian's reasons for sending the children to Second Chance Day Camp.

5. How does Doug get involved with the foreigners on Waverly Street?

6. How did Danny and Lucy meet?

7. How does the Bedloe family react to Lucy when they first meet her?

8. What is the setting for the Church's indoor picnic?

9. Why does Ian take a leave from absence from college to take care of Daphne, Thomas, and Agatha?

10. Do Agatha and Thomas like Ian? Why or why not?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What specific details are used to describe Ariana Pennington? What is it about her that makes the children believe she would be a perfect wife for Ian? Why does Ian seem uninterested?

Essay Topic 2

At the end of the novel, Ian has an epiphany as he carries his new son downstairs to his visitors. He says "People changed other people's lives every day of the year. There was no call to make such a fuss about it." Discuss the meaning of this quote as it relates to Ian's acceptance of his role in Danny's death. Why is he no longer making a "fuss" about it?

Essay Topic 3

Describe several instances of the way humor is used in Saint Maybe. Does Anne Tyler use humor effectively? Why or why not?

(see the answer keys)

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