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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. Why does Dot take Sabine to the hospital?

2. What is the name of the restaurant where Sabine meets her parents for lunch?

3. What is the name of Sabine's pet rabbit?

4. What was the cause of Phan's death?

5. Why did Sabine's parents not like the Canadian city?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Dot tell Sabine about Kitty's belief that Parsifal had a photo of Kitty in his room?

2. Who is Parsifal's mother and why does she call Sabine?

3. Why did Parsifal leave home at an early age never to return?

4. What are Sabine's perceptions of Kitty?

5. What does Sabine think of the cemetery where Parsifal and Phan are buried?

6. What conclusion does Sabine come to regarding Parsifal's denial of any living family?

7. What does Phan tell Sabine in a dream after Parsifal dies?

8. How do Sabine's parents feel about her going to Nebraska to visit Parsifal's family?

9. What shocking information does Sabine receive from Parsifal's attorney, Roger?

10. What does Sabine note about the Fetters' fitting in their Nebraska environment?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Explain the ongoing conflict between Howard and the rest of the Fetters family. What are the main sources of the conflicts? Why does it perpetuate? Why does Howard feel a special conflict with Sabine?

Essay Topic 2

The frustration of unfulfilled affection touches several characters in the story. Name at least two characters who experience unfulfilled love and the situations that occur as a result.

Essay Topic 3

Explain the role of the women in the novel, specifically, how did Dot's life differ from that of Sabine's in the next generation? In what ways is Dot's life mirrored in Kitty's life? What roles do family, culture and experiences play in forming a woman's character and life story?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,057 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample