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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. How long has it been since Nick's death in the opening of Chapter 15?

2. Whose family is described in Chapter 11 as "a big, loyal household of parentless siblings holding it all together" (290)?

3. What state's presidential primary election is the focus of the news broadcasts in Chapter 13?

4. In what field does Zeke's new girlfriend work?

5. Who is the dressmaker for Aurelia and Rose?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Thatcher's memory of sleeping in a tree relate to his current circumstances in Chapter 16?

2. About what do Jorge and Zeke argue in Chapter 17?

3. How is the lecture/debate described in Chapter 10?

4. Why does Tig's behavior surprise Willa in Chapter 13?

5. Who has been shot in Chapter 14? Who is the shooter? Where did the crime occur?

6. Why is Rose opposed to Thatcher testifying in court in Chapter 16?

7. What are Willa's future plans at the end of her narrative in Chapter 17?

8. How would you compare the demeanors of Thatcher and Cutler in the debate in Chapter 12?

9. What important information does Thatcher learn from Carruth in Chapter 10?

10. Who is Uri Carruth and how does Thatcher come to know him?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Analyze and discuss the character of Mary Treat in Unsheltered. Where is Mary from? What are her circumstances when her character is first introduced in the novel? How do those circumstances change? How does Mary stand apart from the other women in the novel?

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

Describe and analyze the plot structure of Unsheltered. Where does the rising action begin? Where does the climax occur? Given the two storylines in the book, how does this impact its plot structure?

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