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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 are the two things Trethewey knew about Abraham Lincoln in elementary school?

2. What happened the year that Trethewey moved to Atlanta with her mother?

3. What letters did the medium write on his notepad in front of Trethewey?

4. What did some of the staff at the family shelter say to Gwendolyn when she first got there with her children?

5. Who was Trethewey's fifth-grade teacher?

Short Essay Questions

1. What did Gwendolyn write about the problems between Trethewey and Joel?

2. What news did Trethewey share with Gwendolyn and Joel that prompted Gwendolyn to stand up for her?

3. What did Gwendolyn give Trethewey that provided a "crucial outlet" for her (106)?

4. What did Gwendolyn write was the impetus for Joel's first death threat against her?

5. What does Trethewey wonder about what might have changed the course of hers and her mother's lives in Part III?

6. What did Trethewey go out of her way to avoid in Atlanta when she moved there as an adult?

7. Why did Gwendolyn decline an invitation to Jimmy Carter's inaugural ball?

8. How did Trethewey learn to figure out whether Joel was in the house or not in Part III?

9. What did Trethewey consider about the medium's words to her after she listened back to the recording of their session?

10. What did the medium tell Trethewey he was getting a specific strong vibe about?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Why did Trethewey decide not to tell her mother about Joel's torments and psychological abuses of her? What connection did Trethewey make between her decision not to tell her mother and her mother's murder years later? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 2

How did Trethewey connect her recurring dreams about her mother and her own near-drowning experience as a child? Write an essay explaining your answers.

Essay Topic 3

How and when did Threthewey begin to feel more separated from her mother and her mother's life? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your answers.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 778 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample