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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 Rose Mary inherit when her mother dies?

2. Why does Rex tell his family that he has lost his job?

3. What was Rex doing when he met Rose Mary?

4. What does Rose Mary want to discuss with her daughter in Part 1?

5. After Lily Ruth Maureen is born, where does the family move?

Short Essay Questions

1. How is the accident when Jeannette gets burned symbolic of her childhood as a whole?

2. What event happened the day that Rose Mary and Rex met, that Rex says caused him to fall in love with her?

3. How do Lori and Jeannette help take responsibility for the new baby, Maureen, on the trip to their new home in Part 2?

4. What incident precipitates the family's leaving Battle Mountain for Phoenix?

5. Why do you think Rose Mary continues to refuse help from her adult children?

6. What does Grandma Smith provide for Jeannette that she doesn't get at home?

7. How does Jeannette's adult life differ from her mother's?

8. The author tells her story in a very straightforward manner. What does her style of writing say about her personality?

9. What does the glass castle represent, not only to Rex, but to the rest of the family as well?

10. Why does Jeannette ask the cab driver to go back to the apartment after she sees her mother from afar in Part 1?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Rose Mary's philosophy is that art and freedom are more important than material things. However, she takes this philosophy too far in failing to provide for her children's basic needs. Describe Rose Mary's philosophy of life and parenting. Consider:

1) What is it that makes it so difficult for her to take responsibility?

2) How is she able to justify allowing her children to live in impoverished conditions because of her choices?

3) Recount a few of her actions that demonstrate her philosophy in action.

Essay Topic 2

Rex's alcoholism is a major theme in the memoir. Although he occasionally is able to stop drinking for a short time, inevitably he returns to it. What personality traits and aspects of his background seem to contribute to his tendency toward alcoholism?

Essay Topic 3

The author's views of what is important and what will bring her happiness change throughout the book. Discuss how her ideas of a good life evolve from childhood into adulthood. Consider:

1) What things does Jeannette hope for as a child?

2) What is her life like as an adult, and is she happy?

3) Do Jeannette's values change throughout her life, or is she essentially the same person?

4) What does Jeannette ultimately decide that she has been looking for, and where does she find it?

(see the answer keys)

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