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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. Where did Brenda celebrate mass in prison?

2. Why did Diane turn into a problem child at school?

3. What were Barbara's most precious puzzle pieces?

4. Mo'Shay thought that the lips of the boy in #151 reminded her of what?

5. Who was the overworked mother of two teenage girls in Michelle's story?

Short Essay Questions

1. What did Diane's father make her do when he took her hunting for the first time?

2. What did Brenda's mother do to her one night from which her father had to save Brenda and what did her father pray for each night?

3. Who was Reese and how did he enter Mo'Shay's life?

4. What was the Christmas basket program in prison?

5. What was Diane's instinct when viewing her father's dead body?

6. What elements of her Rastararian faith did Bonnie try to adhere to at the time that she arrived at prison?

7. How did Barbara say that prison changed her--for both good and bad?

8. What effect did Barbara think that her incarceration had on her children?

9. What did Robin note about the less than spiritual activities going on during mass?

10. How did Robin Cullen begin her story, "Christmas in Prison" with a religious focus regarding the pope?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Choose three characters from different stories, and then project into the future ten years and write a brief synopsis for their lives. Be sure to include geography, marital status, work, socialization, incarceration, etc.

Essay Topic 2

The women in the book were no strangers to hurt and pain. From what you know of the women's lives through this book, what were some of the biggest sorrows and worst betrayals? How did they manage through them? How did their coping skills evidence themselves in many aspects of their lives? Explain.

Essay Topic 3

Some of the women masterfully wove dramatic devices into their stories. Choose an example of symbolism, metaphors, and irony, briefly describe them and identify the technique which they embody.

(see the answer keys)

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