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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. Of whom is Andrew speaking when he says, "Fine, disown us, we're better off without her"?

2. Who comes to visit Ayinde in "February Ayinde"?

3. After telling Richard to leave, what is the first thing that Ayinde does?

4. When Ayinde goes looking for Richard to talk with him, where does she find him?

5. Ayinde tells the friends that she and Richard will be appearing on what television show?

Short Essay Questions

1. How is Becky's sense of humor shown in "October Becky"?

2. How does learning the truth about her childhood help Lia move toward reconciling with Sam?

3. One of the main themes of the book is forgiveness. How is that played out in "February Becky"?

4. Starting with "November Lia," tell how Lia is beginning to appear on the road to recovery.

5. Explain the irony between how Ayinde's day begins and how it ends.

6. What is symbolic about Lia mentioning that she wished she had her mother's blue coat when she is going to talk to Merrill?

7. How does the author foreshadow the disaster of the magazine interview?

8. How is Lia's final dream symbolic of her improved mental state and also a promise of things to come?

9. Kelly has been driven by appearances and having everything perfect. How does this change in "February Kelly"?

10. How does the author show the difference in the mothers' personalities as they are walking with the babies in their strollers?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Both Ayinde and Kelly consider divorce at some point during the story. Ayinde thinks of a chapter from Baby Success that focuses on babies as the ones that really matter and that babies do better with a mommy and daddy under the same roof. Do you agree with this advice? Why / why not? Should Ayinde have patched things up with Richard? Why / why not? Do you think either Kelly or Ayinde should have followed through with a divorce? Why / why not?

Essay Topic 2

Many characters in the story have experienced a loss. Choose one loss. Tell about this loss and how it affected the character.

Essay Topic 3

Throughout the book, we learn about the main characters and their relationships with their mothers and/or mothers-in-law. Some of the main characters have strong relationships with their mothers and/or mothers-in-law; while others have poor relationships with their mothers and/or mothers-in-law. Write about the relationships of the four main characters with their mothers and/or mothers-in-law. Tell if the relationship is good or bad and what causes or has caused the relationship to be the way it is.

(see the answer keys)

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