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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. On the day before Rhys died, what worry about him was Lorelei having?

2. When Meg sees Colin in Chapter 9, to what does she attribute her weight loss?

3. What does Lorelei think Meg should do with her money instead of spending it on a ski vacation?

4. In her Chapter 8 email to Jim, what does Lorelei compare herself to?

5. What part of Bird House does Rory have the most fond memories of?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What obstacle prevents Lorelei and Jim from spending time together in person, and how does Jim propose they deal with this issue?

3. How does Lorelei characterize Rory in her email to Jim?

4. When Beth receives Meg's text about Lorelei's computer password, why is she so relieved and happy?

5. When the first floor of the house is completely cleaned out, what does Meg realize about Lorelei and the past?

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

7. When Rory arrives at Bird House in Chapter 14, how do his feelings about Lorelei and the house contrast with his memories of his childhood feelings?

8. What evidence does Kayleigh cite when she calls Beth and Meg "heartless bitches" (305)?

9. How does dramatic irony create a bittersweet mood when Lorelei announces her success in staying at Maddy's house?

10. How does Meg's reaction to the news that Colin and Kayleigh are camping while they are in England affirm Kayleigh's characterization of Meg's and Beth's reaction to her?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What does it mean that Beth has chosen Lorelei's room as her own? What things of Lorelei's has she kept, and what has she changed? What does Beth mean when she says that this is her "first real room"? (384). Is there some significance to the fact that she has moved into this room just as she becomes a mother, herself? Write an essay that considers how her move back home to Bird House to occupy Lorelei's old room characterizes Beth and what it signifies about who she has become in adult life. Support your ideas with evidence drawn from throughout the text.

Essay Topic 2

In one lesson, you made predictions about how the novel would end based on whether the Birds can learn to follow Vicky's advice and "Look after each other" (313). Now that you have read the novel's actual ending, do you think that the family members have or have not been able to follow Vicky's advice? What evidence is there in the text to support your interpretation? Write an essay in which you use the novel's final chapters to make a case for or against the idea that the Birds have finally learned how to support and nurture one another.

Essay Topic 3

Consider all of Lorelei's emails as a single body of text. How do they demonstrate her growth? How does knowing that Lorelei is capable of change impact the reader's feelings about how her story ends? How does it affect the reader's feelings about other characters in the story? Write an essay that makes and defends a claim about the impact that seeing Lorelei's growth has on the reader, connecting this to the book's larger ideas about family and character. Support your assertions with evidence drawn from throughout the text.

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