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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. At what site do Sal and her Gram stop after they leave Madison?

2. Where does Phoebe say her mother went to while in England?

3. What does Phoebe imagine that Mrs. Cadaver and Mr. Birkway may be doing?

4. What type of stories did Sal's mother enjoy reading?

5. To what town do they detour just before reaching the South Dakota border?

Short Essay Questions

1. How did Sal feel when her mother left, and why?

2. What evidence does Phoebe present to Sergeant Bickle as proof that her mother was kidnapped?

3. Why were Grandparents Hiddle arrested, and what does this show about them?

4. How does Sergeant Bickle react to Phoebe's evidence? Why do you think he reacts that way?

5. Why does Sal's father allow Sal to go on the car trip with her grandparents?

6. Why does Phoebe think that Margaret is a murderer?

7. Why do you think that the whispers changed again to "rush, hurry, rush"?

8. How does Phoebe react to the Finney house, and why does she react that way?

9. Why does the blackberry pie trigger a negative memory for Sal?

10. How does Sal's father respond to the news that Mrs. Winterbottom has left, and why is this important?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Compare Sal's grandparents on each side of her family: their personalities, relationships, and roles in the story.

Essay Topic 2

How has Sal learned to deal with death and loss throughout the narrative? What attitude does she have toward death and loss at the end of the story?

Essay Topic 3

Why does Sal want to hate Margaret? Explain how and why her feelings about Margaret change.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 726 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample