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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 justification does Irene make to Peter about moving back to Tama?

2. What is one reason Lisa says that wanted to move to the farmhouse Collins?

3. How does the narrator describe children in Part Two, Chapter 6?

4. How does Lisa react to her mother, Irene, leaving the family with no explanation?

5. In Part Three, Chapter 2, while in Lisa's cellar, what question does Sarah Jane ask Lisa?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Irene view Peter Sample's courtship? What brings her to marry Peter, even though internally she has reservations?

2. The story shifts to the future as Jeremy works his new job and demolishes a shed. It ends by saying, "The shock of the impact, the satisfying crunch of boards cracking under hard steel, the muffled sounds of everything inside being quickly crumpled into unrecognizable pulp" (160). What does Jeremy's illustration say about his past experience in Lisa's shed? In what ways does the account provide further insight into Jeremy's development as a character?

3. How and why does Sarah Jane justify not providing Jeremy access to the phone at the farmhouse after Ezra's accident?

4. What are some of the first signs that Irene is taking her new church very seriously, and that it may be beginning to take over her life?

5. Irene places the tract given to her by pastor Michael Christopher in her pocket and then in the "anything drawer" at the house. Why does Irene's placement of the tract give it more meaning?

6. Why is Sarah Jane truly concerned about Ezra's car accident?

7. How does Lisa explain her reasoning to Sarah Jane for taking the videos and adding the scenes into the movies?

8. Why does Jeremy relate a weekend in Vegas to what happens to him at Lisa house in Part Three, Chapter 4?

9. Using the quote, "...when she'd [Irene] gave no indication that anything unusual had happened or was about to happen or would continue happening without interruption in the days to follow" (127), what might the reader assume about Irene's disappearance?

10. When Irene leaves Bible study early and tells Peter it is because the others did not like the question she is asking, what sort of questions is Irene most likely asking that are controversial?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The end of Part Three, Chapter 4 moves the story into the future, 16 months after Jeremy and Stephanie visited Lisa's farmhouse. The description of what took place is foggy at best, but major conclusions can be made about the plot. How does the author choose to chronicle the incident that takes place? What exactly happens to Jeremy and Stephanie and how do the previous chapters of the novel contribute to your understanding?

Essay Topic 2

Jeremy and Stephanie visit Lisa's farmhouse for the first time, and they argue whether or not to contact the police after they leave, because Lisa has videotaped them and asked strange questions. At the end of the section, Jeremy states, "Try to put yourself in her [Lisa] shoes" (184). What does Jeremy mean by this statement? How does Jeremy know what it is like to be in Lisa's shoes? What past knowledge and events explain why Lisa's previous experiences cause her to make the videos?

Essay Topic 3

Part Three, Chapter 4 is set in the future and casts Jeremy as a worker who is rebuilding a shed. His co-worker is surprised that Jeremy knows so much about old sheds and how they are made. Jeremy's memories of being at Lisa Sample’s years before overtake him, and new discoveries are presented through this experience. What does Jeremy explain about his experience at Lisa's house? How do his understandings and revealings relate to Jeremy's growth and change of character from past to present?

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