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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 is one of Marin's favorite books?

2. Who did Gramps mostly write letters to?

3. What topic is the book Hannah gives Marin on?

4. Why does Mabel tell Marin she came to see her in Chapter Four?

5. What does Marin need for her yearbook that she does not have?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Gramps get so angry at Sister Josephine in Part I?

2. What do surfers routinely give to Marin, and why?

3. What does Marin not have at the end of high school that she feels bad about and everyone else seems to have?

4. What is Mabel most frustrated and angry with Marin about?

5. Why is Marin struggling so much during her first months at college?

6. What passages in different works of literature is Marin drawn to in Chapter Five?

7. Why are things so awkward between Marin and Mabel in Chapter One when Mabel comes to visit?

8. What does Mabel say her parents want Marin to do?

9. In Chapter Seven, what connection does Marin make with the taxi driver?

10. What arrangement did Marin and Gramps have about the physical space in their house?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What strange signs does Marin notice about Gramps in the months leading up to his death? How does she react to them? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 2

Why does Gramps get so upset when Marin asks him for a baby picture of herself? Months later, after Gramps's death, why is Marin fixated on the absence of a baby picture of her in her high school yearbook? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 3

What does literature mean to Marin, and what lessons does she seem to take from it as she navigates a shocking and tragic time in her life? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 690 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample