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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 is Mrs. Cooper’s first name in the novel?

2. In the community of Pinnacle Lane, Emilienne is perceived by her neighbors to be what during her first year there?

3. On what date was Emilienne born, according to the narrator in Chapter 1?

4. What is the name of the Coopers’ daughter and Ava’s best friend in childhood?

5. How does the narrator describe John Griffith’s feelings for Emilienne Lavender in the beginning of Chapter 5?

Short Essay Questions

1. When does Ava say Henry was “freed from our mother’s protective rule on the hill” in Chapter 11? Why?

2. What uncommon phrases does Henry begin repeating in Chapter 13? Why?

3. Where are Jack and Viviane in the beginning of Chapter 6? How old are they in the beginning of the chapter?

4. Who brings gifts to Ava and Henry when they are two? What happens to this character?

5. How does the onset of World War II affect the Griffith home in Chapter 5?

6. What happened to Emilienne Roux’s father in 1915, according to the narrator in Chapter 1?

7. What causes Marigold Pie’s sister to send her son to live with Widow Pie in Chapter 12?

8. On what holiday does Chapter 7 begin? How does the narrator describe the relationship between Jack and Viviane at this point?

9. What occurrences does the narrator describe happening to Viviane when she is seven years old in Chapter 4?

10. When does Chapter 9 begin? How is Viviane’s condition described in the beginning of the chapter?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the theme of motherhood in the novel. How would you compare Emilienne as a mother to Mrs. Beauregard Roux? What circumstances have influenced Emilienne’s capacities as a mother? How does Viviane differ as a mother in the story?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the supernatural elements in The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender. How does the narrator explain the strange phenomena that takes place in the story? How is Ava’s lineage related to the supernatural?

Essay Topic 3

Describe and discuss Gabe’s and Viviane’s differences in their viewpoints of how to raise Henry and Ava. Do you agree with Viviane that the children are best cared for at home and protected from the outside world? Why or why not?

(see the answer keys)

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