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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 kind of look does Mimi give Shenkman when he shows up at her door?

2. How does Waldo react to Mimi at first?

3. What year does Ben get ready to move out of the house he has lived in for decades?

4. What does Ben send Shenkman back over to his own house for?

5. What is Waldo's father default emotion with Waldo?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who does Mimi think Waldo is?

2. What does Theo do for a living?

3. Why does Sarah want Theo to drive in Part I?

4. What promise does Shenkman make with God when Waldo is born?

5. What does Waldo do to try to help Mimi?

6. How does Shenkman generally treat Waldo?

7. Who is constantly calling Sarah in Part I?

8. Where does Mimi end up when she wanders away from the nursing home?

9. What causes the car accident?

10. In Part II, why does Waldo run away?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How does Shapiro develop the topic of guilt and its implications in different characters' lives throughout the novel? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 2

How does Shapiro explain and develop the bond between Waldo and Ben Wilf throughout the novel? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 3

Why do you think Shapiro chooses to switch her focus between the Shenkman family and the Wilf family? Write an essay explaining your answers.

(see the answer keys)

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