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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 Dayton's draft classification?

2. What is Lee and Christine's last name?

3. What does Rayona get for the "hard luck" prize?

4. What national event upsets Lee deeply?

5. What color are Father Tom's swim trunks?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Ida feel about Clara when she first comes to stay with them and care for Annie?

2. What happens when Christine and Rayona go to the hospital with Aunt Ida to visit Clara?

3. What happens between Father Tom and Rayona on the yellow raft in the lake at Bear Paw State Park?

4. Why does Christine never have a second child?

5. What diagnosis does Christine get after she goes into the hospital for drinking too much?

6. What does Christine do for Rayona that she thinks proves she is a good mother?

7. What is Dayton's house like?

8. How does Christine act when they bring her into the hospital for her latest drinking binge and she gets her serious diagnosis?

9. Describe the last scene of the novel.

10. When does Lee begin to feel confident in his abilities?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Is A Yellow Raft in Blue Water a coming-of-age novel? Why or why not? Who makes a true transformation in the novel, gaining insight and maturity?

Essay Topic 2

What does Aunt Ida mean when she says, "I never grow up, but I get old."? How is this also true in some ways for both Christine and Rayona?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the role of religion in the novel and how Dorris uses it to reveal certain aspects of the characters and themes.

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