View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Walter call Pie as a reference to her unusual relationship with her father?

2. What is Pie looking forward to doing again after the baby's birth?

3. What pet name does Pie's father call her?

4. On what day does construction begin on the Harralson house?

5. In what month does Pie lose her baby?

Short Essay Questions

1. What happens to upset Anita while Buck is out of town and Virginia and Colquitt are tasked with watching after her?

2. Why does the arrival of Duck at the dinner party upset Anita?

3. How does Pie react to her parents' arrival at the party?

4. What is unusual about Pie's behavior in the hospital following her miscarriage?

5. After attending Eloise Jennings' Christmas party, what does Claire speculate has irritated Eloise?

6. Why does Colquitt tie a knot in the bed sheets?

7. Why do the Kennedys have Animal Control officers come out and check their neighborhood?

8. Why is Kim upset while he's at the Harralson's party?

9. In Chapter 9, why does Colquitt describe a feeling of being completely alone after meeting the Sheehans?

10. Why did Colquitt contact People magazine?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What tone does the author set at the outset of the novel? How does she do this? Is her use of tone effective? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

How does the relationship between Walter and Colquitt evolve over the course of the book? At what points do they draw closer and at what points do they pull away from one another a bit? What is their relationship like at the close of the book?

Essay Topic 3

Why do Walter and Colquitt choose not to share the incident involving Kim and Colquitt's kiss with anyone? What consequence does this decision have? Does it make their case for the existence of evil in the house weaker? If so, how?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 808 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample