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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. When she was in eighth grade, Willa argued with her teacher that Cat Stevens was the modern-day equivalent of what poet?

2. Where is the home located that Willa's family has inherited?

3. What is the name of Iano's eldest sister?

4. How old is Polly said to be in Chapter 2?

5. What do Willa and Iano tell the birdwatching couple Dusty's name is in Chapter 7?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the significance of the names Scylla and Charybdis in the novel?

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

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

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

5. Why does Willa go to the Historical Society in Chapter 7?

6. How would you describe the relationship between Tig and Zeke?

7. How is the setting of Batsto described in Chapter 8?

8. How do Thatcher and Rose's childhoods and upbringing differ?

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

10. Why does Polly feel disappointed about her observations of the President in Chapter 6?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

Discuss the symbolism of the trees in the novel. In addition to the two trees in the yard at the house on Plum Street, what others appear? What do you think the trees represent? With what type of tree does Thatcher associate Mary? Why is this significant?

Essay Topic 3

Compare and contrast the characters of Willa Knox and Thatcher Greenwood in Unsheltered. How are these two protagonists different? How are they similar? In what ways do their circumstances and stories overlap? How would you compare the outcomes for each character in the novel's ending?

(see the answer keys)

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