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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 does Sam think happens to her after the rally when she is home alone?

2. Who accompanies Sam to the rally about Aadil?

3. In Chapter 16, what does Sam do that makes her uncomfortable?

4. Who first puts Sam in touch with her trainer?

5. In Chapter 5, what does Ally's college admissions essay turn into without her even realizing it?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Sam realize about the effect of her own love for Ally on Sam's perception of Ally?

2. What does Sam talk about at open mic night?

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

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

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

6. What does Sam see at the fair that shocks her?

7. What is the first of Sam's so-called "rage events"?

8. In Chapter 2, what does Sam do that even she knows crosses a line with Ally when Ally goes to the movies with her friends?

9. What happens during Sam's last meeting with MH at the fair?

10. What does Ally think about the likelihood of her father figuring out her affair?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How does Spiotta establish and maintain tension and suspense in the plot from the beginning to the end of the novel? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 2

Why does the missing tile after the break-in at Sam's new house bother her so much? What does the tile - and the house itself - symbolize to Sam? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 3

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.

(see the answer keys)

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