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. How faithful was Trahearne during his and Catherine's marriage?

2. What has Trahearne decided about the money Melinda owes?

3. How does Stacy help Sughrue with Jackson and his men?

4. Once inside Hyland's home, what does Sughrue do for Melinda?

5. How faithful is Melinda in her marriage to Trahearne?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Trahearne and Sughrue's war-story telling force them to bond?

2. What is the novel's tone as Sughrue and Stacy stage an assault on Hyland's house?

3. Why would Sughrue immediately head out to California after the phone call from Jimmy Joe?

4. What does it say about Stacy that she invites Sughrue to her bed after hearing his conversation with Melinda?

5. How is Catherine's sexual relationship with Sughrue manipulative?

6. How do the activities that Sughrue and Stacy do epitomize their relationship?

7. What is a possibility behind Rosie's reaction to the news about Betty Sue?

8. What is Trahearne's failure to write symbolic of? How?

9. Is Sughrue's reaction to finding Melinda at Selma's home realistic? Why?

10. Why does Melinda offer herself to Sughrue?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Has Sughrue changed as the novel ends? Look at his actions at the very beginning of the novel and at the end that both take place at Rosie's.

Essay Topic 2

Several characters mention that Betty Sue can put spells on people. Indeed, she does seem unforgettable. How does Betty Sue cast a spell on characters in the book?

Essay Topic 3

Trahearne has previous and successful writing and writing that he is wanting to complete. These two types of writing are very different. What does Trahearne's writing symbolize at different stages in his life?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 827 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample