View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What is the name of the contraption that Ab wants to get rid of?

2. Where does Nora tell Merrion Crace Josie has gone?

3. Who do Harlan and Nora go out into the night looking for in Part IV?

4. Who had been sheriff before Harlan Bell in Amargo?

5. What term of affection does Nora sometimes use to address Toby?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Lurie observe that the happiness of a stranger inspires in others?

2. What does Lurie come to think of as Jolly's want, even as Jolly is still alive, in Part III?

3. In Part III, how does Mico die?

4. What does Nora tell Sheriff Harlan Bell about the whereabouts of Rob and Dolan when he first asks in Part IV?

5. How does Nora feel when Sheriff Harlan Bell gets married?

6. How does Nora feel when Rob is born?

7. What kind of harm comes to The Sentinel offices in Part III?

8. In Part IV, what is a particularly low point for Lurie and Burke?

9. How does Lurie feel after telling the writer much of his life story in Part IV?

10. In Part IV, why does Nora feel guilty for having taken so long to go look for Josie?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In the section titled Evening, what finally seems to make Nora realize that the voice she has heard and attributed to Evelyn's spirit for years is not truly that of Evelyn's spirit? What does Nora finally come to believe the voice is? Write an essay explaining your answer.

Essay Topic 2

What makes Lurie give Jolly back the nazar he stole from him in the section titled The Missouri, and what does this action portend about their later relationship? Write an essay explaining your answer, citing specific references to the text to support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay analyzing how Obreht explores the theme of sacrifice throughout the novel, focusing mainly on the Lark family and citing specific references to the text to support your answers.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 615 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample