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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. What role does Joel take on?

2. How old did Jory want to be before he became a father?

3. What color is the dress Cindy first tries to wear to Bart's party?

4. What did Bart study in school?

5. Who does Bart seem to show the most compassion for in his family?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why is Bart angry about his grandmother's will?

2. What is the reader left to wonder about Bart after Jory's accident?

3. What causes Bart to become angry with Melodie before they reveal their affair?

4. Why is the first person point of view the best way to tell this story?

5. Describe Bart's self-esteem.

6. Who does Jory blame for Melodie and Bart's affair and why?

7. Why is Foxworth Hall an important setting?

8. Describe Bart's search for success.

9. Is Melodie selfish? Why or why not?

10. What is the source of irony at Bart's party?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Which character develops most over the course of the novel? Which character learns the most over time? How does he or she learn this lesson?

Essay Topic 2

Why is background information so significant to this story? If Catherine did not provide background information to the reader, how would the novel suffer? What does background information help the reader understand?

Essay Topic 3

What would you say is the central conflict of this novel? Is it Bart's psychological torture? Is it Catherine being torn between her children? Why?

(see the answer keys)

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