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This test consists of 5 short answer questions and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. How does Laurel feel about her father's things?

2. Why does Fay's mother pity Laurel?

3. Who do the women blame for Judge marrying Fay?

4. What does the absence of the letters symbolize to Laurel?

5. How did Judge react to conflict at home?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Who is Phil? Why does Laurel think about him after the death of her father? What impact did his death have on Laurel? Why is Laurel more angry about his death, even after all this time, than that of her father? How has Phil's death defined Laurel's life?

Essay Topic 2

Compare and contrast Fay and Laurel. How are these two characters similar? How are they different? What motivates each character? How are these motivations similar? How are they different?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss optimism. Was Judge really an optimist? How did Judge define optimism? Is this a true definition of optimism? How did Laurel define optimism? Was she an optimist at the beginning of the novel? Was she an optimist at the end of the novel?

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This section contains 287 words (approx. 1 page at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample