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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 is the demeanor of the detective Jo meets with to tell about Eli's confession?

2. At dinner, Daniel gets more and more irritated when Eli asks questions about ________________.

3. What is the occasion for Jo's party?

4. What does the detective ask Jo about herself?

5. Why did the couple who attended the holiday party not buy a home like Jo's?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Daniel not respond the way Jo thinks he should when she tells him about reporting Eli to the Cambridge police?

2. What does Jo notice about Cass' physical appearance, and why is she concerned?

3. How does Jo indicate by her actions in Boston what her intentions with Eli are?

4. How does Jo not pick up on why Daniel is upset with her after she meets Eli?

5. What are Jo's thoughts as she drives to Cambridge to report Eli to the police?

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

7. What are Jo's reactions after she leaves the police station?

8. How does the police detective respond when Jo tells him of Eli's murder confession?

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

10. How did Eli and Dana's relationship begin and what did Eli get Dana to agree to in a year?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

WHEN I WAS GONE is a classic story of tests of a relationship. What does that classification entail? Why does this novel fit into this category? Explain.

Essay Topic 2

Jo spends some alone time throughout the novel to contemplate her life. What does she think about? What conclusions does she arrive at? Explain why she is in a contemplative mood at this point in time.

Essay Topic 3

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?

(see the answer keys)

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