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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 does Mrs. Cohen tell Lulu that Lulu has?

2. What do people call Lulu and Merry at Grandma Zelda's funeral?

3. Which of the following is NOT a reason Joey gives for stabbing Merry?

4. What is Lulu and Merry's religion?

5. What treat does Mrs. Cohen give Merry after she is upset on Thanksgiving?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who takes Merry to see her father in prison?

2. Into whose home do Lulu and Merry move in as foster children and what directions does Lulu give Merry about how to behave and what to say?

3. How do Joey and Celeste's passions eventually lead to murder?

4. What responsibility does Lulu feel toward Merry at the orphanage?

5. How does Merry feel about being at the Cohens' house after she and Lulu have been there for a year?

6. How does Lulu describe her parents in the first chapters of the book?

7. Why is being foster children difficult for Lulu and Merry?

8. What reason does Joey give to Merry for why he stabbed her that day?

9. In what ways do Lulu and Merry learn lessons of abandonment early in their lives?

10. Who tries to help Merry work through the emotions she has related to her father and his failed attempt to kill her on the day he killed her mother?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The author used more than one iteration on the theme of loss. Identify at least two examples about loss in the book and then explain why the examples support the theme.

Essay Topic 2

Describe the overall setting for the story. 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 3

Merry is no stranger to hurt and pain. From what you know about Merry in this book, what are her biggest sorrows and worst betrayals? How does she manage through them? How do her coping skills evidence themselves in many aspects of her life? Explain.

(see the answer keys)

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