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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 does Ava consider buying at the Goodwill?

2. What worry does Ava share on the web forum about her earlier life in Chapter 11?

3. What does Henry call his mother-in-law?

4. Who is building a mansion on Brushy Mountain Road as the book opens?

5. How did Henry disappoint Carrie in Chapter 17?

Short Essay Questions

1. How do Marcus and Sylvia first become connected?

2. What is the relationship between Mae and Jonnie Norwood, who co-run the restaurant called Sisters?

3. How does Sylvia feel about JJ Ferguson?

4. What area of her property does Sylvia devote special care and attention to?

5. How does Sylvia respond to JJ when he tells her he still has feelings for Ava?

6. What happens between Henry and the fortune-teller in New Orleans in Chapter 5?

7. What was the original purpose of Development Drive, where Sylvia's house is?

8. What is the significance of Brushy Mountain Road to residents of Pinewood, North Carolina?

9. What name does JJ tell Sylvia he goes by now in Chapter 10?

10. Why does Sylvia resist the idea of going on a cruise with her sister Lana?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Of all the characters in the novel, which character or characters seem to have achieved the greatest degree of peace and contentment by the end? Write an essay explaining your answer.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay exploring the meaning of Ava's and Henry's reconciliation at the novel's conclusion. Has Henry achieved redemption? Cite specific references to the text in your answer.

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay explaining why Sylvia acts with such hostility toward both Ava and JJ when they take her to see JJ's house for the first time. What emotions is she dealing with upon seeing the house and the couple there together?

(see the answer keys)

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