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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. Who is John?

2. How do Grandpa and Uncle Stanley react to Erma?

3. What is the children's sleeping arrangement in their new home in Part 3?

4. How does Jeannette describe her and Lori's first apartment together in New York?

5. What does Jeannette do with the stolen item from her job?

Short Essay Questions

1. Rex is largely absent from the family after they move to Welch. What has he been doing during this time?

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

3. Why is Jeannette so interested in going to Ginnie Sue's house? What is her visit like?

4. Why does the owner of the paper that Jeannette works for talk her out of taking a job at his newspaper?

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

6. How does the condition of the Walls family home worsen during the spring in Welch?

7. What plans do Lori and Jeannette begin to make for themselves at the end of Part 3?

8. What happens to the family's money when Jeannette is put in charge of managing it while her mother is gone?

9. 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?

10. Why does Rose Mary decide to hang on to the diamond ring that the children find in the woods rather than selling it for much needed money? What does this say about her priorities?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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?

Essay Topic 2

One of the author's earliest memories is of being badly burned while she is cooking by herself as a small child. She spends several weeks in the hospital, during which time she is not unhappy. In fact, she responds to the incident in a calm manner that belies her age.

1) What are Jeannette's memories of the incident? How does she react to the staff at the hospital?

2) How does Jeannette respond to the staff when they tell her that she is going to be all right?

3) What is her father's response to the incident? Do you find it surprising, or is it typical of him?

4) What do both Jeannette's and her parents' way of dealing with this incident say about each of their personalities and ways of approaching life?

Essay Topic 3

Although life is very difficult in the Walls household, one way that the children cope is through depending on each other. Describe the relationship between the children: Brian, Lori, Jeannette, and Maureen and how they depend on and take care of each other. What roles do each of these children play within the family? Cite specific examples from the book.

(see the answer keys)

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