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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 phrase did the schoolyard kids use to tease Alexandra with?

2. What does Alexandra build for herself?

3. What shoes get stuck on Alexandra's feet at the party?

4. What was one of Alexandra's most prized pieces of clothing for years?

5. What creature does Alexandra see for the first time in real life in Ithaca?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is one of the major problems in Alexandra's relationship with J?

2. Why is Alexandra so fascinated by Yamei Kin?

3. What is Alexandra's new in-person job in Ithaca?

4. How do J's parents treat J and Alexandra?

5. What does a former colleague of Alexandra's ask her to do that she does not want to do in Part IV?

6. What kind of research does Alexandra start doing in Part III?

7. What happens after Alexandra gets a dog in Ithaca, related to how people treat her?

8. What does Alexandra's mother tell her about Wendi Deng?

9. How does Alexandra feel about Rob?

10. Why does Alexandra continue to sign into Parley after she leaves her old job?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Why does the communications professor's overture to Alexandra about applying for a job at the college as an adjunct professor make Alexandra feel so bad and angry? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 2

What are the nuances and complications that define Alexandra's feelings about her relationship with J early in the novel? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 3

Why does Alexandra really take her trip to China after some months in Ithaca? What do you think she hopes to discover or learn there? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 581 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample