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. What purchase does Lisa ask her father, Peter, to make?

2. What is the last thing Steve wrote in his journal before taking it out and adding more now in Part Three, Chapter 4?

3. What hopeful, but unlikely, situation does the narrator portray in regards to Irene and Lisa at the start of Part Three?

4. What lie does Sarah Jane tell Jeremy after they leave the scene of the car accident in Part Three, Chapter 1?

5. Who receives a letter from Irene two weeks after she goes missing?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why are Jeremy and Stephanie surprised to meet Lisa on her porch when they travel there in the middle of the night?

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

3. In what ways is Irene's new married life in Crescent different from when she lived in Tama? How does the move emotionally affect her?

4. 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?

5. 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?

6. How does Lisa initially respond to her mother's disappearance?

7. How does Jeremy's lack of knowledge about Stephanie's apartment help him discover something critical about himself?

8. Upon Irene's first visit to Michael Christopher's church, what is his interpretation and the importance of the Bible verse from Luke?

9. 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?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Part Three, Chapter 1 catalogues Ezra's car accident near Collins near Lisa Sample's farmhouse. Sarah Jane reacts peculiarly when Jeremy recounts how he found Ezra's car crashed on the side of the road. Sarah Jane insists they return the site, but does not tell Jeremy why. Why does Sarah Jane want to go back to the scene? What does Sarah Jane immediately do when they arrive at the site? How does Sarah Jane's behavior reflect her relationship with Lisa and Sarah Jane's need to revisit the scene?

Essay Topic 2

The videos with the added scenes are most critically scrutinized in Part One, Chapters 2-6. Jeremy, Stephanie, and Sarah Jane watch the videos and translate their contents in differing ways. How does each character feel about the added scenes? What specifically takes place in the videos that affect the characters' understanding of the purpose of the added scenes? What themes are brought to the surface from the substance of the videos? Provide particular quotes and descriptions of the videos to support your interpretations.

Essay Topic 3

The Quote that precedes the novel examines the theme of secrecy that evolves throughout the novel. It claims that there are "secret agents," who for varied reasons decide to keep or share secrets. Choose one character from the narrative who wrestles with secrecy and decide how their behaviors, thoughts, and ideas contribute to the theme of secrecy. How does secrecy relate to that character's development? Why is secrecy important to understanding the character?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,568 words (approx. 6 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample