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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. What day of the week does Elizabeth teach a night class uptown in Chapter 1?

2. What company did Elizabeth's husband work for when the markets crashed?

3. How cold is it when Elizabeth goes running at the end of Chapter 1?

4. In Chapter 3, how long has it been since Elizabeth and her husband have been to Florida?

5. How old is Elizabeth at the beginning of the novel?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Elizabeth's co-homeroom teacher tell Elizabeth she does and then shows her in Chapter 2?

2. What does Elizabeth say about her teaching?

3. What does Elizabeth think of her co-teacher?

4. In Chapter 3, how far does Elizabeth run and how does she feel afterwards?

5. How did Elizabeth and her husband end up in bankruptcy court?

6. What type of students does Elizabeth teach in her night class?

7. In Chapter 1, what is Elizabeth's commute to work like?

8. What does Elizabeth do on Thursday nights and why?

9. What does Elizabeth find different about what is taken for granted about her students and what was taken for granted about her and other students at her white, and wealthy public school?

10. What is Elizabeth's morning routine in Chapter 1?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

A character arc is the inner journey of a character in a book. How does the story show Elizabeth’s growth of character? Why is her transformation a character arc?

Essay Topic 2

Josslyn is murdered. How does Elizabeth feel about Josslyn’s murder? How does she grieve and why?

Essay Topic 3

Elizabeth and Sasha both struggle with motherhood when they first become mothers. Why do Elizabeth and Sasha both struggle with motherhood when they first become mothers? How do they come to the realization that motherhood is difficult but rewarding.

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