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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 best describe Peter's demeanor while courting Irene in Part Two, Chapter 1?

2. What does Irene say in the letter she sends two weeks after she goes missing in Part Two, Chapter 6?

3. Why does Irene leave Wednesday Bible study early?

4. Why do the wives in Crescent trade Fridays off watching the children on Fridays?

5. Why does Sarah Jane say that she is staying at Lisa's farmhouse?

Short Essay Questions

1. How is Peter Sample's life described at the start of Part Two, Chapter 1? Do not use the exact information provided, but make inferences that can be drawn. Write in your own words.

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

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

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

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. 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?

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

8. 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?

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Pages 100-101 document a religious tract given to Irene while outside the Old Market. The message relates directly to Irene's situation, as well as how her life possibly evolves in the future. What associations can be made from the tract and Irene's own life? How does the tract signify what is to come later in the novel?

Essay Topic 2

In Part Two, Chapter 4, the pastor, Michael Christopher dispenses a metaphorical association between the literal and figurative nature of a Bible verse. This incident happens upon Irene's first visit to this new church. Christopher states, "There's a reason why Luke wants us to see this worker in the field, why Matthew says you don't go back for your clothes. It's not just that God doesn't mind if you're dirty...The dirt's a sign" (116-117). How is "being dirty" a good thing for human nature? What does Christopher expect from his congregation according to this elucidation? How does the quote affect the growth and conclusion of Irene's character?

Essay Topic 3

Jeremy's father, Steve, decides to write a new entry in his diary on Page 151. He writes, "Linda, I think Jeremy's hurt or in trouble and I don't know what to do...I can't lost Jeremy. Help me, Linda I don't know what to do" (151). The narrator notes that Steve writes "lost" instead of "lose." The characters in the novel all experience the feeling of being lost and not knowing what to do next. They also go through moments of loss and grief. Choose one character and clarify how the events and growth of their character are affected by being lost and also experiencing loss. How do these states of mind propel the character into new situations? How are the character's actions driven by these emotions/themes?

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