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. What did L's father do when he was young to keep him near him and away from his mother?

2. What did Brett ask M in regards to her relationship with L?

3. How was Brett dressed the evening they all gathered in the living room of the main house?

4. Who did L suspect gave his father the bruises he often saw on him when he was dying?

5. What did M say before L jumped on the table and asked, "Shall we have fun?" (107)?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Candy say in the letter L received while at the second place?

2. Why did the family gather in the living room one night while M fixed it up extra nice in case L joined them?

3. What new career path does Kurt decide he is going to take? What does he do to prepare?

4. What were Brett and L doing when M approached the second place for her portrait sitting? Why did M think they were mocking her?

5. 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?

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. 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?

8. How does L describe his mother to M when she goes to the second place to deliver his package?

9. How old was Justine when M returned from Paris when her marriage ended? Why did M not see her daughter for a year?

10. Where would M watch her daughter when she was young and M was unable to see her? What did her husband do and say when he spotted M? What did M do not long after that day?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Read a review of Second Place. Write an essay about how this review impacted your own views or understanding of the story.

Essay Topic 2

Examine the use of dialogue versus the use of description. Look at how each is used in the novel and what makes these uses effective or ineffective.

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay analyzing Cusk's commentary on art in Second Place. How is art important to the story? How does it affect the narrative? Use textual evidence to explain your analysis.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 871 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample