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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. As the ski business moved into the valley, what did the neighbors call the area where the Nearings lived in Vermont?

2. After living in the mountains, where did the Nearings want to live in their new home?

3. How deep was the stone garden wall in Maine?

4. Which way should a garden slope to get maximum sun exposure and good drainage?

5. How many days was frost possible on the Vermont homestead?

Short Essay Questions

1. How were the Nearings gardens like Japanese gardens?

2. What caused the leaks in the pond?

3. How did the Nearings lay out a garden?

4. How did the Nearings feel as they began to age about life?

5. What changed in the attitudes of the community in Vermont during and after WWII?

6. Why did the Nearings build their first greenhouse?

7. Why, according to the Nearings, do most people want old buildings?

8. Describe the house in Maine.

9. What one regret did the authors have about the stone wall they had to build around the garden in Maine?

10. What point do the Nearings make about personal style in a home?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

As others viewed life as meaningless and looked for forms of escape after the war, how did the Nearings view life? What did they mean by "urgent?"

Essay Topic 2

What were the Nearings views about the war? How did their views affect how they got along with their neighbors?

Essay Topic 3

What made the Nearings move from Vermont to Maine? What happened to the area around their farm and what happened to their neighbors?

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