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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. Jo adopted the name Felicia Stead and told people she was called ________________.

2. Who is Daniel?

3. Why does Jo go to the attic when she gets home in the evening?

4. How many children are in Dana's family?

5. Where does Jo's mother live?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Jo confuse Jean Bennett when telling her how Jo knows Jean's husband, Eli Mayhew?

2. Why is marrying Daniel quite opposite from the life she had been living in the group house?

3. What does Dana think Licia might be when she catches Licia in lies?

4. How is Jo impatient with Daniel's needs when she wants to talk, and how does she try to mend things on Sunday morning?

5. Explain Jo's secretive life in Cambridge in 1968.

6. How does the author use foreshadowing in the situation regarding the euthanasia of Eli's dog?

7. What are Jo's feelings about seeing Eli again?

8. What happens to the dynamics in the group house after Dana's death?

9. What are some of the events that the author covers during a flashback of Jo's life?

10. Which characters comprise Jo's family?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Create a character study of Jo. What are her physical characteristics? What are her motivations? What are her fears? What are her dreams? What else can you say about Jo?

Essay Topic 2

The author uses more than one theme in the book. Identify at least two themes in the book. Then cite an example to support each theme you name.

Essay Topic 3

Describe the role of the family in WHILE I WAS GONE. What does it mean for each of the main characters? How does the family evolve in its support of each other?

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