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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. Who faints in chapter 1?

2. Where does Sita move in chapter 4?

3. According to chapter 3, what is Mary's favorite location?

4. How old is the boy in the first paragraph of "The Branch"?

5. In which state do the children look for their aunt?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe Wallace Pfef's vision for the sugar beet, as described in chapter 6?

2. Describe the group of men who gather in the butcher shop in chapter 4.

3. Why does Karl make a note of the change on the table in chapter 6 when he and Wallace Pfef are having drinks?

4. Why does Mary feel afraid at the beginning of chapter 1 when Karl leaves?

5. What does Karl fantasize about his mother in chapter 3? Why?

6. How does Mary react to receiving a postcard from Adelaide in chapter 3?

7. Explain the town's reaction to Mary's accident in the ice in chapter 2.

8. Why does Russell Kashpaw dislike Karl?

9. Describe Sita's relationship with Jimmy in chapter 5.

10. In chapter 5, why does Catherine Miller write to Sita? How does Sita respond?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What does the Jell-O salad symbolize in the friendship between Mary and Celestine? What other objects symbolize something similar? Explain.

Essay Topic 2

What role does the sugar beet play in the novel, both as a symbol and as a plot device? Explain.

Essay Topic 3

Explain the jewel box as a symbol for the various characters, including its significance when unopened, when opened, and later on in the novel when Sita takes it with her to Minneapolis.

(see the answer keys)

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