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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 does Howard tell Jean in Chapter 8 that he and Gretchen are not?

2. What does Jean's mother say she would like to have mended?

3. What does Martha get a gift of in St. Cecilia's that she is urged to share?

4. What book is Jean's mother reading in Chapter 10?

5. What is Gretchen's husband's name?

Short Essay Questions

1. Where is Jean's sister Dorrie?

2. What does Jean give to Martha in Chapter 9, and why?

3. What is Jean's first impression of Howard?

4. What does Jean keep in a drawer, unused?

5. Who does Jean live with?

6. What does Martha tell Jean about Gretchen's story of immaculate conception?

7. Who does Jean visit to try to corroborate Gretchen's story in Chapter 9?

8. What does Howard do for a living?

9. What does Martha give to Jean to give to Gretchen for her?

10. What is Jean shocked to see on Gretchen's face in Chapter 8?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Why does Gretchen really write to Jean's paper with her story of supposed immaculate conception? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 2

What relationship does Chambers draw between science, religion, and faith? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 3

How does Chambers weave both real-life events, like the train disaster in 1957, and other fictional details together throughout this novel to give the reader an accurate picture of England in the 1950s? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

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