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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 makes Dara nervous in the newspaper article she sees during Nutcracker rehearsal?

2. Who was Dara's and Marie's favorite Clara from the old Nutcracker tapes?

3. What color is Marie's new purchase in Part III?

4. What does Dara find out from Randi about Derek that she did not know before?

5. What did Dara's mother always say about dancing The Nutcracker?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Corbin keep asking Dara to do that Dara refuses to do in class with him?

2. What does Marie do outside that is strange and sad in the immediate aftermath of Derek's death?

3. Why does Dara call Mrs. Bloom in Part III?

4. What does Dara tell Charlie and Marie that people must never find out about in the wake of Derek's death?

5. What do Dara, Charlie and Marie tell the police about Derek's death?

6. What did Dara and Marie used to look forward to at the end of The Nutcracker season with their mother?

7. Why does Dara eventually realize her mother never cast herself or Marie as Clara in The Nutcracker?

8. What does Mrs. Bloom tell Dara about Derek and Marie that terrifies Dara?

9. What are some things the jealous students do to Bailey Bloom in Parts I - III?

10. How does Derek die in Part IV?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

One year after their house fire and Charlie's death, what does Dara's forging ahead with The Nutcracker performance mean for her own future and for the future of The Durant School of Dance? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 2

What does Marie do in the early part of the novel that causes such strife between herself and her sister Dara? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 3

Why does Dara believe that she is the strongest of the three of them, herself, Charlie, and Marie, and in what ways does Dara assert her dominance between the three of them? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

(see the answer keys)

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