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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 gift did Bill give Meg when he was trying to get her to let him come home after she kicked him out?

2. Why does Beth come home to England in September of 2006?

3. Whom does Rory have the easiest time relating to on his first day back with his family?

4. When Colin is in Thailand, what does he tell Rory that Lorelei has begun hoarding?

5. In Chapter 14, how does Lorelei get the money for the repairs her car needs?

Short Essay Questions

1. What caused Meg to kick Bill out in 2003, and what was the result?

2. What does Lorelei's Chapter 16 email to Jim reveal happened between her and Rhys on the night before Rhys's death?

3. What is Lorelei's explanation to Jim regarding why she is always hungry?

4. What assurance does Lorelei offer Jim about their relationship and his drinking, and how does this relate to her own struggles with hoarding?

5. How does Beth describe her last couple of years in Australia to Bill when they talk on the way to pick Bill's kids up from school?

6. What argument does the family have about Rhys during dinner in Chapter 14, and how does Meg settle the argument?

7. In Chapter 9, what Easter gift does Beth's boyfriend give her, and why does she feel the way she does about this gift?

8. When Colin proposes to come see Rory in Thailand, which details of his life does Rory share, and which details does he keep to himself until the first night of Colin's visit?

9. In her Chapter 8 email to Jim, what claim does Lorelei make about the cleanliness of her home, and how is this contradicted by evidence elsewhere in the text?

10. What evidence is there at Vicky's funeral and wake that Meg's attitude about Colin and Kayleigh is changing?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What is the function of the incest motif in The House We Grew Up In? How does it impact the reader's understanding of the characters and their struggles in life? How does it convey messages about healthy and unhealthy family relationships? Write an essay in which you describe how this motif is developed in the lives of the various family members, analyze the nature of this alleged "incest," and then advance a theory about what purpose Jewell intends the motif to serve. Support your assertions with evidence drawn from diction, details, narrative perspective, and plot.

Essay Topic 2

After Beth witnesses the scene between her mother and her father and Vicky in Chapter 7, she goes upstairs to her own room. What is it that so disturbs her about the appearance of her room? What does it imply about her? How does juxtaposing her dawning realizations about her own room and herself with the scene between her parents and Vicky create a sense of urgency and help the reader understand Beth's decision to try again with Jason? Write an essay in which you analyze how the details in and structure of this section of Chapter 7 allows the reader to more fully understand Beth's panic and her choice to attempt a relationship with Jason.

Essay Topic 3

You have spent some time considering how the loss of Rhys impacted Rory later in life. Now, choose a different family member and write an essay that makes and defends a claim about how Rhys's death impacted this character. Consider their relationship with Rhys, their individual personality and capabilities, and in what way their later life might have been different had Rhys lived a natural lifespan. Support your ideas with evidence drawn from throughout the novel.

(see the answer keys)

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