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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. Who wishes to bury her ashes on Hortensia's property?

2. In Chapter Eight, who contacts the Katterijn committee?

3. What are Agnes’s plans after leaving Marion’s service?

4. What is Hortensia's address?

5. How does Hortensia feel about the letter requesting the burial?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Hortensia feel when Peter dies?

2. What does Chapter Seven reveal about why Marion became an architect?

3. Why does Marion label Hortensia "a thief"?

4. Why do Marion and Hortensia argue over the remodel?

5. How does Marion perceive race?

6. What happens in the construction accident?

7. Why does Hortensia scrub the cast-iron tub at night?

8. What does Hortensia cite as her “last remaining comfort” in the world?

9. Why does Hortensia walk to the Koppie?

10. Why does Marion enjoy working with Frikkie on her home reconstruction?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe and dissect Hortensia’s complicated reaction to Peter’s death. Point to specific scenes from the novel that reveal her conflicting emotions.

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the significance of Beulah Gierdien’s letter and request that she bury her grandmother’s ashes on Hortensia’s property. What history and significance is present here?

Essay Topic 3

How does the novel explain the development of Marion’s racism? What specific scenes from her childhood cause her to develop in the manner that she does?

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