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. Who does Dara want to talk to about Derek after Nutcracker practice at the Ballenger in Part IV?

2. What does Dara remember about Derek's death afterwards?

3. Who did Marie tell Dara that she saw the night of her own car accident?

4. How did Dara's mother say they kept the lights on in the dance school?

5. Where did Charlie once consider taking an apprenticeship?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Mrs. Bloom tell Dara about Derek's work in her house?

2. How does Dara react to Mrs. Bloom's story about Derek?

3. Why does Bailey Bloom refuse to stop dancing in rehearsal, even after she gets sick?

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

5. Why does Dara tell Charlie in Part III that they have to fire Derek?

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

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

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

9. What do Benny and Gaspar tell Dara after Derek's death?

10. What does Dara's mother tell Dara and Marie is an essential part of being a serious dancer?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How and why do Dara, Charlie, and Marie decide to expand their dance studio instead of just repairing Studio B after the fire there? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 2

What details about her sexual relationship with Derek does Marie tell Dara, and why do you think Marie tells Dara such intimate information? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 3

Why does Mrs. Bloom tell Dara it is essential for her to see Mrs. Bloom's bathroom to understand what might have happened between Marie and Derek, and what does Mrs. Bloom's bathroom symbolize? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 735 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample