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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. During what month do Mary and Thatcher take their trip to the Pine Barrens in Chapter 8?

2. What is Dusty's real name?

3. Who accompanies Mary and Thatcher on their trip to the Pine Barrens in Chapter 8?

4. Where was Tig for a year before she appeared at her parents' home unexpectedly?

5. Who is described by Thatcher as the discoverer of oxygen in Chapter 6?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Willa face conflict in taking Nick to the doctor in Chapter 5?

2. How did Willa obtain the house her family has moved into? How is the house described?

3. What are the circumstances surrounding Zeke in the opening of the novel?

4. Who is Tig and why is she living in Willa's home?

5. What is Mary Treat doing when Thatcher comes to her home in Chapter 4? Why?

6. How do Mary and Thatcher reach the Pine Barrens in Chapter 8? How is this setting described?

7. When and where is Willa's story set primarily? How is this established?

8. How do Willa and Nick's political views and outlooks differ?

9. Why is Mary upset when Thatcher comes to pay a visit in Chapter 6?

10. How are Rose and Polly similar? How are they different?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the symbolism of the house on Plum Street in Unsheltered. What does the house represent to Willa and her family? What does it represent to Thatcher, Rose, Polly, and Aurelia? How has the house changed in the century between these narratives?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the marriage of Thatcher and Rose in the novel. For how long have these characters been married at the onset of the novel? Where did they meet? How does their relationship change in the course of the narrative?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the real-life individual Captain Landis and his portrayal in the novel. What led Landis to found Vineland? When was it founded? What are other noteworthy aspects of Landis's story? Would you say he is a protagonist or antagonist in the novel? Why?

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