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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 Florrie do every time that Lily speaks?

2. What is Tom doing to try and put out the fire?

3. What does Ginny see Pa using to fight the fire?

4. What does Tom hire Florrie to do?

5. What does Ginny hear one night as she and Tom make love?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Ginny realize about the land as she, Pa and Tom walk around talking about it?

2. What does Ginny reveal to Locke in the letter about their father and the hypocrisy in the family?

3. What things are happening between Tom and Florrie that Ginny does not like?

4. Why do Florrie and Lily go to Ginny's house to help, and what do the two sisters think of Lily?

5. Why are Tom's rants about taking care of people exposed to typhoid so ironic?

6. What is the nature of the dream that Ginny has regarding Thurman Johnson?

7. Soon after the birth of Ginny's son, Muir, why does Tom get so angry when she invites the midwife's children to stay for awhile?

8. How does Ginny's view on the farm shift after spending time with Tom working in the fields?

9. What is the content of the letter Locke has written to Ginny?

10. On what topic is Florrie especially annoyed with Lily?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe the overall setting for the story. Why does the author use the setting he 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

Describe some of the settings for the story. What is the overall setting? Be sure to include geography, time period and any pertinent popular culture events. Why did the author choose to use these places in the story?

Essay Topic 3

Explain the use of fire in the lives of Ginny and Tom. What does fire typically signify in literature? What are its meanings in this book? What does the author intend to show by having their "baptism of fire" in the book?

(see the answer keys)

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