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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. Where does Bethie end up after stealing her boss's money on her way to San Francisco?

2. Who does Bethie steal money from to get to the West Coast?

3. What does Dave tell Jo when she gets back from her trip with Bethie in Part V?

4. What had Sarah sent as a wedding gift to Bethie when she married Harold?

5. What does Dave call Jo as a term of endearment?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Bethie get arrested for when she comes back to Detroit for her friend's wedding?

2. In Part III, what is one major frustration Jo has with Shelley?

3. Why does Sarah send Jo a telegram telling her to come home immediately just as Jo starts her trip abroad?

4. What kind of conversation does Bethie do with Jo and her neighbors in Part IV?

5. What do many of Jo's neighbors say during Bethie's consciousness-raising exercise about their lives in Part IV?

6. Who does Bethie meet from her past that changes her life in Part IV, and how does she meet him?

7. In Part III, what happens that marks a turning point in Bethie's life?

8. What does Dave tell Jo when she returns from her trip to Atlanta in Part IV?

9. What is Bethie's opinion of Jo's husband Dave?

10. What does the abortionist tell Bethie when she sees him?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay comparing and contrasting Jo's experiences with and feelings towards each of her parents, Sarah and Ken Kaufman, throughout her childhood and up until the time when Ken dies suddenly.

Essay Topic 2

How does Bethie's sexual abuse at the hands of her Uncle Mel affect her life, self-perception, and relationships afterwards? Write an essay explaining your answers.

Essay Topic 3

Sarah Kaufman views Bethie as her "good" girl, and she holds high hopes for Bethie's eventual marriage; Sarah seems to see her other daughter Jo as a lost cause and even goes so far as to call her "unnatural." But by Part III, when Jo is married with children and Bethie is drifting around the country and the world, the sisters have switched places in their mother's eyes. Write an essay exploring how Bethie's and Jo's relationships with Sarah change over the course of the novel, citing specific references to the text to help support your answers.

(see the answer keys)

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