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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 is the entrance to the attic?

2. Where does Riley's uncle go?

3. What is Riley's last name?

4. What kind of grass blows in the grass harp?

5. What does Riley pass around to the others in the tree house in Chapter 2?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is Dolly's story with the gypsy women?

2. What does the Judge speak of regarding trust in Chapter 3?

3. What is Riley's confession in Chapter 3?

4. What events lead up to the departure of Dolly, Catherine, and Collin for the tree house?

5. Describe the differences between Dolly and Verena's mannerisms and bedrooms.

6. What does the tree house gang do while the buzz is going on in the town in Chapter 2?

7. What positions do the sisters whom the narrator lives with have in the town/home? Whom does the narrator gravitate toward of the two?

8. What "secret" does Catherine reveal in Chapter 3?

9. Why do Catherine and Dolly go into the woods once a week?

10. What is Catherine's take on love in Chapter 3? How does her comment change the conversation?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the title of the novel. In addition to the beginning, where is the title referenced? What does the title refer to, and how does it reflect the plot of the story?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the plot line of The Grass Harp. Define the terms Rising Action, Climax, and Falling Action and give examples of these from the text. How does the structure of the novel serve to create tension?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss Truman Capote's use of nature symbolism in The Grass Harp. What does the tree house symbolize? What are other examples of symbolism? Define symbolism in your answer.

(see the answer keys)

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