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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. When Frankie decides to leave the office, what type of flowers does she bring in as an apology for leaving?

2. At what age does Bud first run away from home?

3. Even though Rachel's brother and his partner broke up, what do they still share?

4. What does Bud's father fear the United States will eventually turn in to?

5. When Rachel and her brother are in his new apartment discussing traveling to Cambodia, what does Rachel say nobody thinks of now as a human right?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe how Nadia and Rachel first meet Ethan, Kirk's new boyfriend.

2. What happens when Bud runs away from home for the first time?

3. What story does Bud tell Lizzie and her roommates after he runs away to her apartment?

4. How does Rachel describe the personality of the nickname "Sister Susie," which Kirk fondly calls her?

5. When Bud goes to his late father's house with his siblings, what does he give up?

6. How does Tara describe her parents' relationship with money?

7. What does Tara's friend, Tracey, make a film about and how does Tara feel about it?

8. What things during dinner with his father does Bud learn about the world?

9. Why does Frankie, Tara's mother, turn down Gil's marriage proposal when they are 19?

10. When Bud brings a date, Phoebe, to his sister's wedding, what does she say to his family?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay summarizing and then analyzing what you think to be the most significant chapter in the novel connected to the theme of love.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay explaining what you think the meaning of life and the secrets to happiness are based on your analysis of 2-3 characters from the novel. Use their understanding about happiness to challenge or build upon your own ideas about life and happiness.

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay defining and analyzing the connections between money and power throughout the novel. How does Gil's relationship with money equate to unyielding power? Which other characters in the novel use money as a form of power and how do they wield it?

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