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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 much money does Dale Strickland have to pay to Gloria Ramirez?

2. What kind of gun does Aimee target shoot with?

3. What tragedies befall the woman in Debra Ann's story to Jesse in Part IV?

4. What does Potter say to Corrine on their trip in Part III that shocks her?

5. What does Glory carry that makes her feel safer in Part III?

Short Essay Questions

1. In Part IV, what does Aimee tell Debra Ann about her father and mother?

2. What does Corrine remember as one of the hardest times in her marriage to Potter?

3. What does Debra Ann propose she can do to help Jesse get his truck back?

4. In Part IV, what haunts Jesse from the war?

5. In Part III, what understanding do Corrine and Potter come to about how Corrine will be happy after having Alice?

6. In Part III, why do you think it is so important to Suzanne that she and her daughter look like the ideal woman and girl in Odessa?

7. In Part IV, what happens to the woman in Debra Ann's story that she tells to Jesse?

8. What does Mary Rose lie about on the stand in Part IV?

9. In Part III, what is Corrine's impression of the oil booms in Texas?

10. Why does Corrine watch Aimee and the baby for Mary Rose in Part IV?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Wetmore includes two folktales or legends in this book, one told to Debra Ann by her mother Ginny and the other told to Glory Ramirez by her Uncle Victor. Both tales include the deaths of children and the persecution and/or revenge of those children's mothers. Write an essay analyzing Wetmore's meanings in each of the two tales, citing specific references to the text to help support your answers.

Essay Topic 2

Both Mary Rose and Potter Shepard experience intense feelings of guilt over their actions related to Gloria Ramirez's rape. Write an essay comparing and contrasting these characters' experiences, and keep in mind that Mary Rose feels guilty and conflicted for actions she did take, while Potter feels guilty for actions he failed to take.

Essay Topic 3

Why do you think Suzanne Ledbetter tries so hard to portray herself and her family as the ideal, upstanding citizens in Odessa? Keeping in mind Suzanne's own background, write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your opinions.

(see the answer keys)

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