View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. How does Sissy compare to the girls in the home?

2. Who finds June dead in her house?

3. What subject does Lorraine like to talk to Sissy about?

4. Who calls Son after June's funeral?

5. How many days after Cecilia's birth does Rose return to her kitchen job?

Short Essay Questions

1. What problem does Sissy have now that she is about the same age as the girls coming to St. Elizabeth's?

2. What does Son say about being wounded and Cecilia's not wanting to marry him?

3. When did Sissy learn that she was not adopted?

4. How does Son's girlfriend, Cecilia, die, and why does he feel such guilt about it?

5. What is the reason that Rose stays so distant from Sissy?

6. What does Son keep the same at St. Elizabeth's even though with his inheritance, he now has the authority to change?

7. What does Thomas leave for Sissy before he goes?

8. How do Sissy and Son view Thomas' visit so differently?

9. What circumstances prompt Rose's abrupt departure?

10. What is the relationship between Sissy and the girls at the home, one girl in particular?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Does Patchett end the story on a note of hope for Sissy or the continuance of her struggle to come to terms with her flawed relationship with Rose? Give your perspective and two reasons to support your answer.

Essay Topic 2

Compare and contrast Thomas and Son. Both men have been a big part of Rose's life but have their hold on her in very different ways. Why are their differences classic examples of conflict in drama? What other similarities and dissimilarities are there between the two characters?

Essay Topic 3

Explain the role of women in Ireland in the mid-20th century when the women in the novel are living their lives. What precedents do they feel compelled to follow? What restrictions do they have? What freedoms did they have that 21st century women do not have?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,142 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample