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. Two African American children, six and seven years old, arrived at the Howland kitchen door on Sunday afternoon. What did everyone call these children?

2. How old is Margaret when she learns the story of her father?

3. Who attends Carnegie Tech?

4. What do the road crews discover when they blast through McCarren Hill?

5. Three books are mentioned that Abigail receives for agreeing to pretend to be the sick child. They are The Swiss Family Robinson, Kidnapped, and ________________.

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe Somerset County.

2. Without medical help, one of the children could died from pneumonia. What do the Howlands do?

3. How does Margaret behave after her children leave for boarding school?

4. What are death gifts, and what happens if you touch one?

5. What does Abigail remember about family vacations?

6. How does Margaret know that spring has come in the Book of Margaret?

7. What does Margaret find in the Howland woods that she brings back to the house?

8. What does Abigail remember about the first part of her life?

9. Describe the Howland kitchen.

10. What does Margaret's first bedroom at the Howland home look like?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss ways that this book may be view as dated. Be certain to address belief systems and attitudes. Is there anything that still rings true today?

Essay Topic 2

Describe what the author means by "keep your heart ticking under the sheltering arches of your ribs."

Essay Topic 3

Explain why, in your opinion, that the author jumps from the beginning of William and Margaret's relationship to the fact that "She bore him five children, all told. Three of them lives, two girls and a boy." Why is more of their relationship not shown to the reader?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 742 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample