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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. In Chapter 3, Seal Sense Analysis, who gave Joan some clams he had dug up?

2. How did Joan meet her new friend, Joan Erickson.?

3. How long had Joan and her family lived in their big old family house?

4. What did studying her old photos reveal to Joan about herself?

5. Where did Joan and her husband meet?

Short Essay Questions

1. How did other people respond when they learned Joan was working at a fish market?

2. What was ironic about how Joan felt once her husband drove away from their house on the day they separated?

3. What did Joan think of the wealthy wives who came into the fish market and ordered expensive fish?

4. How did Joshua Cahoon treat Joan when he took her to the seal island?

5. Where did Joan and her husband meet, and how did Joan's in-laws feel about the couple's relationship?

6. In Chapter 9, Fogged In, how did Joan compare women to fog?

7. What costume did Joan wear for the New Year's Eve footrace, and what did it symbolize to her?

8. How did Joan's husband respond to her day with the seals and what does his response indicate about their marriage?

9. What was Joan's husband's childhood like, and how did his childhood experiences affect the couple's marriage?

10. How did Joshua Cahoon differ from Joan's husband?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the theme of self-reliance in the book. How did Joan demonstrate self-reliance at Cape Cod, and was she self-reliant all her life, or did she become more so during her year by the sea? Cite examples from the text to support your arguments.

Essay Topic 2

Compare and contrast Joan's two jobs on Cape Cod with her career as a writer. How did her two jobs on Cape Cod change Joan, her relationships, and her marriage? Cite examples from the text to support your arguments.

Essay Topic 3

Discuss how holidays affected Joan in the book. Did her feelings about holidays change during her year by the sea? In what ways do holidays illustrate Joan's feelings about the traditional role of women in society? Cite examples from the text to support your arguments.

(see the answer keys)

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