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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. Sylvia uses what type of insect in an illustration of the concept of interconnectedness?

2. The townspeople featured in the epigraph of Weather: A Novel declare themselves to be what entities?

3. How often during his waking hours does Henry text Lizzie once Catherine is approaching her due date?

4. What was Catherine's drug of choice before she got sober?

5. In what grade is Eli, Lizzie's young son?

Short Essay Questions

1. For what reason does Offill include Mohan's opinions about the upcoming election in Chapter Two?

2. What is the significance of the scene in which Eli and Lizzie gaze at the moon together in Chapter One?

3. What habit does Henry adopt when Catherine's due date draws near?

4. What is "looping," (43) according to Lizzie?

5. For what reason does Lizzie go on fewer trips with Sylvia in the summer?

6. Where does Henry go when he loses his apartment in Chapter One?

7. What does the moth from Madagascar symbolize and why?

8. What time of year is it by the time Chapter One comes to a close?

9. Discuss the demographics of Eli's school and how Lizzie feels about them.

10. Discuss an instance when the motif of dreams enters the narrative of Chapter Two.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss Offill’s use of metaphor, simile, imagery, and other literary devices as a means to send particular thematic messages within the narrative of Weather: A Novel.

Essay Topic 2

Discuss Offill's choice to tell the story of Weather: A Novel using the first person point of view from Lizzie’s perspective. What elements of the novel's themes lend themselves to this choice and what are Offill’s intended effects on the reader?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss Henry's role within the events of the novel and explain how his character helps to further develop certain themes inherent in Offill's piece.

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