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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Which character does Julia tell first after she decides to try to adopt Alice?
(a) Earl.
(b) Max.
(c) Ellie.
(d) Cal.

2. How does Ellie respond in Chapter 14 when Julia names a particular family member's words of comfort?
(a) She laughs.
(b) She sighs.
(c) She turns and walks away.
(d) She smiles.

3. How does Julia's visit to Max's house one evening end in Chapter 17?
(a) Julia spends the night in Max's bedroom.
(b) Julia leaves hurriedly.
(c) Ellie comes to pick Julia up.
(d) Max falls asleep on the couch and lends Julia his bed.

4. In what way had George been released from prison after his appeal?
(a) He finished his original sentence.
(b) He got time off for good behavior.
(c) He escaped.
(d) He was released on appeal.

5. After Julia tells Alice that a certain element "is everything," (171) she remembers that the last time she had used the phrase, she had been speaking to which character?
(a) Amber.
(b) Philip.
(c) Ellie.
(d) Cal.

Short Answer Questions

1. What is the last name of the man named George who appears in Chapter 21 to claim that he is a relative of Alice's?

2. When Ellie tells Julia that everything will be okay, Julia makes a reference to which character?

3. Which characters are riding in the police cruiser together at the beginning of Chapter 13?

4. To whom is Alice referring when the narration from her perspective describes a certain person as "Sun Hair" (165)?

5. Each time Julia thinks about the first word Alice had uttered in her presence, she feels a shiver of what?

Short Essay Questions

1. What coping mechanisms does Max use to cope with his dark mood on Christmas day?

2. How does Ellie try to cheer up Cal's daughters on Christmas evening?

3. What common ground do Ellie and Julia find in Chapter 12?

4. What does Ellie's choice of porch chair in Chapter 13 tell Julia about her state of mind?

5. Compare Alice's feelings about Earl and Myra's house to her feelings about the church.

6. What knowledge is described as "building in Julia, filling her lungs like a slow-growing case of pneumonia" (203)?

7. What situation within Chapter 14 cause Max to feel real fear "for the first time in seven years" (189)?

8. What major step does Julia tell Ellie she is planning to take "the day after Christmas" (282)?

9. What reason does Cal give when Ellie notices his rare sense of melancholy on the evening of Christmas day?

10. What prompts Julia to leave Max's house in Chapter 17?

(see the answer keys)

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