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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 main emotion does the leader of the press conference feel just before the event?

2. How many reporters are said to be "huddled on the courthouse steps" (3) as Julia approaches the side entrance?

3. To what part of a "mythic, sleeping beast" (50) are the volcanoes in the Pacific Northwest compared within the text?

4. Which character does Julia name as having taught her that she should avoid men who play games?

5. Who asks Julia how she can "listen to sad stories all day long" (137)?

Short Essay Questions

1. In what way does Hannah connect the theme of secrecy to the nature of small towns?

2. How is the theme of isolation linked to a particular character within the narrative?

3. What action does Julia take in Chapter 10 when Girl attempts to communicate with her for the first time?

4. What aspect of Max's character does Julia admit to being seduced by at the end of Chapter 11?

5. In what way does Julia consider her mother to have been her closest ally in the family?

6. What coping mechanism does Julia use to deal with the feelings evoked by seeing her ballerina music box in her childhood room?

7. Describe the violent encounter that occurs between Julia and Girl in Chapter 5.

8. Name one theme depicted within the epigraph of Magic Hour.

9. What kinds of objects terrify Girl and how do Julia, Ellie, Peanut and Max address the problem when they move Girl to Ellie's house?

10. How does Ellie feel about hosting the press conference in Rain Valley?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Analyze Magic Hour from an Existential perspective. What elements of life does it suggest hold the most meaning and why?

Essay Topic 2

What is the function of Cal's character within the novel? Discuss the characterization methods used by Hannah in depicting Cal and include in your discussion the reasons that Hannah portrays Cal in these particular ways.

Essay Topic 3

In what way does Hannah utilize irony within the text? Discuss at least three uses of irony within Magic Hour and explore each instance's connection to a theme contained within the text.

(see the answer keys)

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