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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. Where did Eli and Dana met?

2. Eli is surprised to learn that Daniel is ________________.

3. Jo tells Daniel she is going to meet whom in Chapter 11?

4. Jo learns that which one of her daughters had arrived during the night?

5. What is Jo's response when Eli says he would like to meet and talk again?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Jo respond when Daniel wants to know if she planned to have an affair with Eli?

2. Are Jo's concerns for Cass' welfare particularly painful because Jo lived a similar lifestyle in her youth?

3. Describe the setting in which Eli killed Dana.

4. What assumptions does Jo make about the people in her life after the episode with Eli?

5. What does Sadie tell Jo about why Jo's daughters always argue with each other and why is the reason so upsetting for Jo?

6. Describe the pleasant evening Eli and Jean spend at Jo and Daniel's holiday party.

7. Why is Daniel both relieved and upset when Jo updates him on the police's unwillingness to investigate Eli?

8. Why is Jo almost pleased that Daniel threw the tomato at the wall next to her?

9. What holiday disaster had Daniel feared, and how did he avoid it?

10. What does Jo learn about the police's decision regarding Eli and why is she personally angry at what the detective insinuates?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Explain the significance of the novel's title--WHILE I WAS GONE. Why did Miller choose this title? Is there an understood message in the title? Is there another title you can suggest that might be more appropriate?

Essay Topic 2

Explain the concept of loneliness as it exhibits in the story. Which of the characters are lonely? Are they all lonely in some way? Explain the loneliness and the methods and attempts to overcome it.

Essay Topic 3

The flashback portions of the story take place as America is experiencing the hippie generation, the Vietnam War, Woodstock, and drug usage in the late 1960s. Explain the significance of these political and cultural events on the housemates.

(see the answer keys)

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