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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. Lizzie likens the election of Trump to which historical event?

2. Lizzie describes Henry's reaction to his divorce by saying that he is "sad but mostly" (155) what?

3. Catherine always arrives home to greet Henry and Iris at what time of the evening?

4. In Chapter Three, Lizzie sees Henry sterilizing not only Iris's bottles, but which other items?

5. What show does Lizzie put on for Henry in Chapter Four, calling it a "soothing hour of television" (155)?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who asks Lizzie to name her fears in Chapter Four and what three elements of life does she name?

2. What solution does Lizzie devise in response to Henry's problem, as revealed in Chapter Six?

3. What purpose does Offill have in mind when including the detail that Catherine always gets home from work at seven in the evening?

4. In what way does the motif of dreams arise within Chapter Four in order to again demonstrate the strong connection between Henry and Lizzie?

5. What problem does Henry share with Lizzie in Chapter Three?

6. What detail does Henry share with Lizzie in Chapter Four that compels her to go to Ben with her concerns?

7. What drastic step does Sylvia decide to take in Chapter Four?

8. How does Ben feel about the results of the election and how does Offill provide this information to the reader?

9. What is "milling" (129) in the context of the field called Disaster Psychology?

10. How does Sylvia react when Lizzie shares her plans for creating a 'doomstead' for her family someday?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Examine Offill’s use of characterization methods to portray Lizzie’s brother Henry within the narrative. What effects do these characterization methods have on the themes and messages inherent in Weather: A Novel?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss Offill's messages about parenthood within the text Weather: A Novel.

Essay Topic 3

Examine the effects of stress on the novel's characters and the coping methods each character uses to deal with emotional turmoil. Which characters' methods are effective, which are ineffective, and how do these varying levels of efficiency affect the messages sent by Weather: A Novel within the text?

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