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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 activity takes up most of Sam's daughter's time besides school?

2. What kind of house does Sam buy?

3. In Chapter 8, where does Sam go for an open mic night?

4. Where does Sam work?

5. What group leaves a flyer in the front door of Sam's new house?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does MH tell Sam she does open-mic night at the Smiley Face?

2. What is Matt's first reaction when Sam tells him she is leaving him?

3. How are the house Sam buys and her decision to leave her husband related?

4. In Chapter 14, what does Matt do for Sam that makes it harder for her to be angry with him?

5. What does Spiotta mean when she mentions Sam's "historic house envy" (75)?

6. How does Sam afford the house she buys in Part I?

7. What does Sam think of MH when she first meets her?

8. What is Ally's relationship with Lily like?

9. Why is Clara Loomis problematic as a historical figure?

10. In Chapter 6, what does Matt ask Sam to do regarding their daughter Ally?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What does Spiotta reveal about Sam's character with Sam's reaction to the Aadil Mapunda shooting? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 2

How do Sam's feelings and opinions about political activism, and about the activists she has met recently, including Laci and MH, change over the course of the novel? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 3

How does Sam attempt to explain some of the more controversial aspects of Clara Loomis's life to visitors to the Clara Loomis House? How does Sam seem to feel about these controversies herself? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 614 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample