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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 did Kelly want to have a boy?

2. How did Kelly respond when George called to see what she thought about his bladder cancer treatment?

3. Why did Kelly lose patience with Georgia?

4. How many radiation sessions was George scheduled to have for his cancer treatment?

5. What good news did Kelly receive about her cancer in Chapter 31?

Short Essay Questions

1. What did Kelly learn about her diet from a nutritionist?

2. Explain why Georgia and Claire had begun acting out since Kelly's illness and why Kelly wanted to change this.

3. How did Kelly's parents surprise her when they said they couldn't come to California for Christmas?

4. What were Kelly's concerns about having a baby and on what day did she have her first child?

5. Why was Kelly especially worried about her father in January 2005 and what did she do about it?

6. When did Kelly experience her first panic attack and how did her mother help her through it?

7. What did Kelly, Edward and the girls do when they learned that George had only two more cancer treatments?

8. What did it mean when George called Edward to cancel a meeting they had when Edward was in Philadelphia on business?

9. What was the result of Kelly's genetic testing?

10. Why was Kelly resistant to starting estrogen therapy which would eliminate estrogen from her body?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe the overall setting for the book. Why does the author use the setting she does? What is the time period of the story? How important is the time period to the attitudes and issues of the characters?

Essay Topic 2

Explain the significance of the book's title. Why is it called simply THE MIDDLE PLACE? What was Kelly trying to emphasize with this emphatic style? Suggest three alternate titles for this book with supporting rationale for each.

Essay Topic 3

Explain the role of women in America in the late twentieth century. What precedents did they feel compelled to follow? What restrictions did they have? What freedoms did they have that 21st century women do not have? What roles did the women in Kelly's life fill for her? Explain.

(see the answer keys)

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