View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Who did M think was in the picture that fell out of Justine's purse?

2. How old was Justine when L stayed with them at the second place?

3. With whom did Justine spend most of her time while Tony and Kurt built an irrigation system?

4. Who fell asleep while Kurt read his manuscript in the living room of the main house one evening?

5. With whom did Kurt begin to spend most of his time after embarking on his new career?

Short Essay Questions

1. What did Tony do while he and M were apart when they first fell in love? How did M feel about this part of her life in comparison to other times?

2. Why does M think parents try to predict how a child will turn out? What does she think is all that really matters in terms of parenting?

3. Why does L jump on the table in the second place and ask M if they should have fun? How does M feel about this?

4. What does M tell L when he asks how she paid for their land and homes?

5. How did Justine and Tony's desire to get a dog make M feel?

6. How did M interpret L's long explanation for why he would not paint her portrait the day he found her picking edible greens by the water? How did L respond to M's reaction?

7. How did M feel as she got dressed for her portrait sitting? What did she wear? What did happened between her and Tony?

8. Why does M find it interesting that Kurt is able to speak so freely with L?

9. What did M give to Justine to make up for the year she was unable to care for her? Does M believe Justine ever used this?

10. How did Justine's relationship with Brett change her?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Pick a character from the novel and discuss their goals and motives. Do they achieve their motive? Do they share similar goals and motives with other characters? Do their goals clash with other characters? How do the characters' goals and motives affect their interaction with each other?

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay exploring the central purpose of this story. What response do you think the author hoped to get from her readers? Do you think she was successful? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 3

Write a detailed analysis of tone in Cusk's Second Place. Include whether the tone changes or remains the same. If it changes, include details on when, why and whether this change is effective.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 817 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample