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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 happens when Jeannette goes swimming in a public pool?

2. Where does Maureen go upon her release from the hospital?

3. Why do Jeannette's parents express concern over her living arrangement in New York?

4. What is Jeannette's occupation in New York in Part 4?

5. How do the Thanksgiving guests remember Rex?

Short Essay Questions

1. When Erma dies, how does the Walls family react? How is Rex's reaction different from the rest of the family?

2. What is Rex's mother, Erma, like, and how does she differ from Grandma Smith?

3. Why do Rex and Rose Mary follow their children to New York City to live?

4. How does Rose Mary view her and Rex's living situation in New York? How do the other members of the family see things differently?

5. What potentially dangerous situation does Rex put Jeannette in while her mother is out of town for training?

6. What is Jeannette's reaction when a social worker comes to visit the home, and what does she tell her parents about it?

7. How do the Walls parents fail to protect their children from Erma?

8. Recount some of the events that demonstrate Maureen's difficulty in adapting to life as an adult.

9. What has the author found with her second husband that she did not have with her first?

10. What changes does Jeannette make in her life after her father dies?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Jeannette's relationship with her mother is conflicted, yet she still feels a fondness and compassion for her as an adult. Discuss the relationship between these two women by answering the following questions:

1) How would you characterize the relationship between the two?

2) How does each of these women play both an adult and a child's role?

3) How does the relationship between them change over time?

Essay Topic 2

The Walls children have a hard time adjusting to life as adults. How does each of them carry the scars of their neglectful childhood?

1) Compare Brian, Maureen, Jeannette, and Lori as adults. How are their lives alike, and how do they differ?

2) What difficulties has each of them faced as adults, and how successful have they been in overcoming or learning from these difficulties?

3) What good traits, or qualities has each of these children developed as a result of their "unique" childhood?

Essay Topic 3

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?

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