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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 do Licia, Sara, Eli, and Larry have for a Christmas night celebration?

2. Who arrives at Jo's home in the evening?

3. Who was Jo's first husband?

4. At dinner, Jo feels odd because of ____________________.

5. What does Jo buy on her lunch break?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who are Jo and Daniel's daughters and how are they different from each other?

2. Which characters comprise Jo's family?

3. How well does Licia adapt to living in the group house?

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

5. What choice does Eli make for his dog and for himself in Jo's office?

6. Describe the night when Licia finds Dana's dead body in the house.

7. What are the circumstances in which Jo sees Eli again after so many years?

8. What does Dana's murder signify for the housemates?

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Project into the future ten years after the end of the novel and write a brief synopsis for the lives of Jo and three other characters. Be sure to incorporate personal, political, and cultural impacts on the characters' lives.

Essay Topic 2

Describe the major settings for the novel. Why does Miller use those settings? What is the time period of the story? How important is the time period to the attitudes and issues of the characters?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss Miller's writing style. How is she different from other writers of her time? What are some of her characteristic writing techniques? Identify some examples of her classic style in WHILE I WAS GONE.

(see the answer keys)

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