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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 does Sadie want to build with the money she donates to the church?

2. What does Tim discover when he returns home following Christmas Mass?

3. What does the dog do when Tim reads scripture out loud?

4. How big does Emma say the dog is?

5. How old is Tim?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the relationship between Tim and Emma.

2. What do readers know about Cynthia from Chapters 9-12?

3. Compare and contrast the characters of Barnabas and Dooley.

4. Describe the situation Father Tim faces at the beginning of Chapter 1.

5. Compare and contrast the characters of Emma and Puny.

6. What does Sadie find in her attic? Why is this significant?

7. What events in Chapters 9-12 lead readers to think more is going on than meets the eye?

8. How are birth and death intertwined in Chapters 9-12?

9. What do you think about the people in the town being Tim's 'family'? Do you think this is a healthy thing? Why or why not?

10. What does Tim learn from Puny Bradshaw?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The church plays a central role in Karon's book, providing a foundation for characters' world views. What do you think having a Christian church as the backdrop adds to the reader's understanding of events and characters?

Essay Topic 2

What is the purpose of a foil in literature? Describe one character in Karon's novel that you believe is a foil of another character. Why do you think Karon may have created characters in her work that emphasize each other's qualities?

Essay Topic 3

Identify the concept of a tragic hero (or heroine). Describe one character in Karon's book that you think can be described as a tragic hero, and explain what makes this person fit the description. Why did Karon decide to include this particular character in her book? What does he or she represent?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 804 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample