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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. With whom does Hester seems to be making some positive impact?

2. What does Merrily often do while she is hanging clothes or doing housework?

3. Hester has become quite well-read on what subject?

4. Vida Winter is reluctant to let Margaret leave for a few days. Why?

5. Whom does Hester consult for advice about the children?

Short Essay Questions

1. List a few details that are used to describe Margaret's first impression of Vida Winter's house.

2. Give three adjectives that describe Hester.

3. When Margaret writes a card about Hester, what conclusion does she come to, and how does she act on this?

4. Describe Vida Winter's reaction to Margaret 's short leave of absence.

5. What makes Hester believe she is seeing a ghost?

6. What happens to Mrs. Maudsley when she arrives at Angelfield to check on the twins?

7. Describe what Margaret hears in the night soon after she arrives at the Winter house, and what she does when she hears this sound.

8. Describe the bookstore. Who were its main customers, and how was most of its income made?

9. List a few "odd" behaviors of the twins as they go about the countryside.

10. Who raises the twins?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Evaluate the use of word choice in the novel, especially in the author's use to create a mood. Use specific examples with accompanying page numbers to show how Setterfield uses "loaded" words for her advantage.

Essay Topic 2

Should we be our "brother's keeper?" In other words, when we see neighbors in need, what should our response be? If the townspeople had rallied sooner to intervene in the neglect of the children and the mental illness Isabelle, might tragedy have been averted? Discuss this idea in terms of the book, using citations from the book to prove your point.

Essay Topic 3

"All children mythologize their birth." What does this quote by Vida Winter mean? How is this true for you or for others you have known? What myths were the characters in the story perpetuating and why?

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This section contains 743 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample