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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. Why does Ursa's mother go back to the cafe even though she was afraid to speak to Ursa's father?

2. Finish the line: "He made them make love to anyone, so that they ______."

3. Where had Mutt been working while he was gone from Bracktown?

4. How old is Ursa when she sees May Alice having sex in Mr. Jouette's field?

5. What does Ursa's father call her mother?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Mutt say to Ursa at the end of the novel? What is Ursa's response?

2. What does Ursa's mother do to earn a living? How does Ursa feel about this?

3. When Mutt and Ursa are at a dance together, what does Mutt do that embarrasses Ursa? What does she say to him during this conflict?

4. What year is it at the beginning of Chapter 4? How old is Ursa?

5. Where does Mutt say he has been working? Why did he leave? Where is he working now?

6. What scares Ursa into thinking that she may be pregnant? How does she try to get rid of her "baby"?

7. How does Ursa think telling the story of her father will help her mother? What does Ursa think about her own relationship with men?

8. What is the name of the boy that Mary Alice begins to have sex with? What does Mary Alice tell Ursa when Ursa says she should stop?

9. How old was the Melrose woman who committed suicide? Why does the Melrose woman's father investigate her case further?

10. When Ursa comes to visit her mother, what is her mother doing? Why is she doing this?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Ursa is hurt both physically and emotionally in the novel. Write an essay about the role of pain and hurt in the novel, making sure to address the duality of this theme. What does Ursa learn from her pain? Cite specific examples from the text to support your responses.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay on Tadpole, and his character's role in the novel. Is he there to reinforce Ursa's fear and hatred of men, or does he serve as a counter to this theme? Why or why not? Cite specific examples from the text to support your responses.

Essay Topic 3

Ursa sings the blues onstage. Write an essay on the theme of self expression in the form of song in the novel. Why is Ursa only able to express herself through song? What conflicts does this lead to in her life? Cite specific examples from the text to support your responses.

(see the answer keys)

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