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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. How many letters did Joan have from John?

2. What medication was given to John at the apartment three times while paramedics worked on him?

3. Where did Joan find meaning in life?

4. What did Joan watch from the windows at UCLA?

5. What pattern of dishes did Joan find in a cupboard that John's mother had given him?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why did Joan find herself in tears when she was walking to the opening of the Democratic convention?

2. What was the sequence of events the night that John died?

3. Why did it take so long for Joan to receive a copy of John's autopsy?

4. Why did Joan use to tell John her dreams.

5. What did Joan argue about with a doctor after Quintana had been intubated for almost a week?

6. What did it mean that post-mortem lividity was present in John's body?

7. Why did John and Joan have trouble selling their house in Malibu?

8. Where did John and Joan meet the Blacks?

9. Over the years, what would Dominique do with Quintana?

10. Why did Quintana refer to her memory as "mudgy"?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

From the time Joan was a child, she thought a great deal about meaninglessness. Discuss how Joan found meaning in her life, giving examples and quotes from the book.

Essay Topic 2

All her life, Joan turned to literature in times of trouble and John's death was no different. Compare the different types of literature that Joan read to help her cope with her grief and why some were more helpful than others. Give specific titles and examples from the book in support of your discussion.

Essay Topic 3

After Quintana's release from the hospital and when she flew to California, Joan believed that she might be beginning a new season of life. Discuss why Joan believed she was entering a new season of life and why that season was short-lived. Support your statements with quotes from the book.

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This section contains 873 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample