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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 the end of Chapter 5, what does Ally discover about her feelings for Joe?

2. In Chapter 16, what is Sam making in Clara Loomis House?

3. What organization's lawyer does Sam talk to after the shooting she witnesses?

4. What particular gift does Joe give Ally?

5. What is the title of Ally's draft of her college admission essay?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the most serious of Sam's "rage events"?

2. What does the reader learn about Matt's and Sam's history in Part III?

3. Why did Ally's family have to contend with Child Protective Services when she was 15?

4. What are some of Sam's happiest memories of being with Lily and Ally?

5. What do news reports note is ironic about Aadil Mapunda's death?

6. Why does Sam decide not to confront Ally at the fair?

7. What does Sam think is a bit unseemly about the general American obsession with physical optimization and self-improvement in Part III?

8. In Part III, what exercise does Sam start doing and how does it make her feel?

9. In Part III, what does Sam admit to herself about Lily's illness and her own marriage?

10. Why is Sam's open mic night such a terrible disaster?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How does Spiotta explain the evolution of Sam's and Ally's relationship over time? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 2

What parallels does Spiotta draw between the upheaval in American political and cultural life and in Sam's own life? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 3

Why do you think Spiotta chooses to switch her main narrative focus between Sam and Ally at different points throughout the novel, and what effect does this variation have on the reader? Write an essay explaining your answers.

(see the answer keys)

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