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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 class did Sister Leonie teach Alex's senior year in high school?

2. What did a returning dragon give a young woman celebrating her quinceañera in East Los Angeles?

3. What was Mr. Alphonse's first name?

4. How many apartments shared the dumpster in the alley by Alex's apartment?

5. What did Alex fix for dinner after her first day of her senior year of high school?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why did Beatrice get in trouble in Chapter 20 and have to have a visit with the principal?

2. What were some excuses Alex gave when her father did not attend school functions?

3. What news story was broadcast about Saint Anges in Chapter 21?

4. What did Alex see after the air raid drill at school?

5. What were students to do during an air raid drill?

6. What dragonings occurred when Dr. Gantz was studying a group of Women Airforce Service Pilots?

7. Who testified on April 15, 1947 before a subcommittee of a subcommittee of the House Un-America Activities Committee, and what happened to them?

8. What happened at prom?

9. Who did Alex meet when she went for a walk around midnight in Chapter 24?

10. What would Beatrice do when Alex spent long hours at the library nearly daily?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Dialogue tags help identify who is speaking in a written conversation in a novel. What would happen if dialogue tags were never used to identify who is speaking in a written conversation? What are some common dialogue tags used to identify speakers in a written conversation in When Women Were Dragons? What descriptive dialogue tags has Barnhill used, especially in Chapter 26? How do those dialogue tags help readers imagine scenes? How do they add another layer of description?

Essay Topic 2

Dr. Gantz had to testify several times before the House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC). Why was he brought before the HUAC? How did the committee deny his freedom and personal liberties as a citizen of the United States?

Essay Topic 3

Idioms are words that have a figurative, rather than a literal meaning. How are idioms used in When Women Were Dragons to help characters communicate? How do idioms help create word pictures and mental images for readers in a concise manner? How do idioms help readers understand characters, emotions, and ideas?

(see the answer keys)

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