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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. While Ruth and Ray are sleeping after Susie has entered Ruth's body, what does Ruana bake to wake them up?

2. Why does Abigail not want to go to Susie's one-year memorial?

3. What eventually drives Mr. Harvey out of hiding in Chapter 20?

4. Where do Susie (in Ruth's body) and Ray end up making love?

5. Where does Samuel ask Lindsey to marry him?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why is Lindsey so angry with her mother when she returns from California to see Jack in the hospital?

2. What does Susie realize, while watching from her heaven, about her family after she has entered (and left) Ruth's body?

3. Why is Ruth a celebrity in Susie's heaven?

4. Who is Mr. O'Dwyer?

5. What leads Grandma Lynn to believe that Mr. Harvey is involved in Susie's killing?

6. What conflict does Mr. Harvey feel about reporting that his house has been broken into?

7. What is the first memory Mr. Harvey has of killing someone?

8. When Jack and Abigail confess that they both see Susie, how do they react?

9. While eating apple pie that Ruana brought to the Salmon family, what do Samuel and Lindsey learn about the house they want to fix up?

10. As the neighbors are gathering for Susie's one-year memorial, what does Lindsey ask of her mother?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the unique role that Franny plays in the text. What are the benefits of having her within the novel? What are the challenges?

Essay Topic 2

Beginning fairly early in the novel, several characters claim to see Susie's ghost. Name two of these characters; discuss the circumstances of when, how, and where they see Susie; and describe how these early "sightings" can be interpreted as foreshadowing Susie's reappearance at the end of the novel.

Essay Topic 3

The dreams (and nightmares) of several characters are explored throughout The Lovely Bones. Choose three characters, describe at least one dream (or type of dream) that character has, and discuss what it shows the reader about each character. Make sure to use quotations from the text.

(see the answer keys)

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