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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. Why can Mr. Myles not speak?

2. What is Maricela told will help her in tea?

3. What does Nora notice about Mr. Myles when he is working?

4. What does the garden remind Amir of?

5. What happens to one of the dealers at the lot in the chapter “Virgil”?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe Curtis, as he is now, in terms of his priorities.

2. Why does everyone in the garden want to help the girls in the chapter “Maricela”?

3. How does Amir compare the U.S. to India?

4. Explain why Virgil becomes angry and ashamed at his father.

5. What does Virgil find in the ground, and what does he eventually use it for?

6. Why does Maricela resent being pregnant?

7. What does Amir learn about his misconceptions of cultures?

8. Explain Sae Young’s life prior to her “accident”?

9. What happens to the lettuce in the chapter “Virgil”?

10. What is Mr. Myles’ reaction to the garden?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Sae Young has had a very difficult life, as has Wendell. Compare the lives of these two characters, and their reactions to those lives. How do their very difference experiences lead them to the same place? What does this say about human tragedy, and our responses to such tragedies?

Essay Topic 2

What do you think the author was trying to get across with this novel? What was the primary theme? Was the author successful? How did the book make you feel? Did the author convince you of his primary point in writing the novel? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 3

Florence notes that the first gardeners were the pioneers, the original Seedfolks. Over time, how has the area changed, according to her stories? What do landlords begin to do? How did Sam’s watering efforts lead to a permanent solution? What has changed with the soil? What has been the lasting effect of the garden on the society as a whole?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 757 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample