View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. How old is Sasha at the beginning of the novel?

2. How many schools share the building where Elizabeth teaches?

3. In Chapter 1, what time does Elizabeth's alarm go off on weekedays?

4. Why is Elizabeth getting a piggyback ride at the beginning of the novel?

5. What is the longest thing that Elizabeth's students have written in Chapter 2?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. What does Elizabeth teach in the morning, and what are her classes like?

4. At the beginning of Chapter 2, what are Elizabeth's thoughts about running?

5. Who are Elizabeth's only friends at work, and how long did it take them to trust Elizabeth?

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

7. What do Elizabeth and Sasha do after going to the beach, and how does Elizabeth sleep better at Sasha's than at home?

8. What does Elizabeth say about her teaching?

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Elizabeth and her husband have to file for bankruptcy. Why do Elizabeth and her husband have to file for bankruptcy? How have poor money management and circumstances led to their financial issues?

Essay Topic 2

Flashbacks are a literary device used to provide information about events that took place before the story began. How does the author use flashbacks in the novel? How does the author’s choice to use flashbacks affect the plot?

Essay Topic 3

The setting in a book is the place or places where the action takes place. Where does the story take place? Is the setting simply a backdrop to the story and characters or does it take on the role of a character?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 989 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample