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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 were the Queen and King of their senior prom?

2. What does Ian find in Lucy's jewelry box?

3. When Rev. Emmett returns to preaching, what does he ask of Ian?

4. What is the relationship between Bobbeen and Rita?

5. How tall is Rita?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Agatha refuse to go to church once she's fifteen?

2. Explain Ian's response to the birth of his son.

3. Why do the members of the Church of the Second Chance pitch in to paint Reverend Emmett's house?

4. Describe Ian's uneasiness with Daphne and Gideon's relationship.

5. Describe Ariana Pennington's appearance.

6. Describe Agatha's appearance when she returns for Thanksgiving after her mother has died.

7. Why do the children think that Ian needs a wife?

8. What is the weather in the spring of 1988?

9. Why does Agatha ask her siblings "What's happened to Ian?"

10. What does the Church of the Second Chance do when Reverend Emmett has a heart attack?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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

Essay Topic 2

Explain Doug Bedloe's role in the family. Do you think he is a character who sits on the sidelines of his family's life? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 3

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?

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This section contains 905 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample