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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 refers to a literary device in which an author indistinctly suggests certain plot developments that might come later in the story?

2. What is Blaze's real name in the novel?

3. Where did Steve teach for many years before relocating?

4. Ronnie was something of a child prodigy at what when she was younger?

5. How long does Will wait on the beach before Ronnie comes out to speak to him in Chapter 14?

Short Essay Questions

1. What fight breaks out in Chapter 5? Who begins it and who ends it?

2. Where does Ronnie wake up in Chapter 12? Who approaches her?

3. Where does Ronnie have an encounter with Blaze in Chapter 10? What happens as a result?

4. What confrontation does Ronnie have with Will in Chapter 13? What is Will's response?

5. What attracts Ronnie to Blaze in the novel? What does this reveal about Ronnie's character?

6. What argument do Will and Scott get into in the beginning of Chapter 5? Why?

7. What lesson in trust does Ronnie learn in Chapter 14?

8. Where does Ronnie wish she were spending the summer in Chapter 1? What limitations prevent her from doing so?

9. What does Steve do with Jonah before Ronnie calls in Chapter 11? What is his response to her arrest?

10. How has Steve's abandonment affected Ronnie? How is this seen in Chapter 1?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss Will's character development in the novel. What does the reader learn about Will's friendship and obligation to Scott in Chapter 20? What does Ronnie, and by extension, the reader, learn in this chapter which illuminates the rationale behind Will's actions? What does Will think of Ronnie in comparison with his ex-girlfriend?

Essay Topic 2

Describe and analyze the plot structure of the novel, identifying and discussing the exposition, rising action, climax and denouement. Where does the novel return to in Chapter 37? What is the effect of this return to the beginning on the reader? What peace does Steve make before dying?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the impact of Steve's cancer on his family. Why did Steve choose to hide his illness? What are Ronnie's and Jonah's reactions upon hearing their father is dying? What kind of cancer does Steve have? Where has the cancer spread? Why are there no treatment options to help Steve?

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