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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. To what event do Billie Jo and her father go all dressed up?

2. With whom does Billie Jo want to leave town?

3. What is the content of the letter from Aunt Ellis?

4. What does Billie Jo sense returning to the area?

5. What does Billie Jo place over her nose to prevent breathing in the dust while she's in bed?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who are the unexpected tenants of the schoolhouse for a couple weeks?

2. What news does Mad Dog come to deliver to Billie Jo?

3. Who is Louise?

4. How does Billie Jo attempt to escape her life and the dust?

5. What are the circumstances around the black cloud on the way to the funeral?

6. What is the content of the letter Aunt Ellis sends to Billie Jo?

7. How does Billie Jo assign human characteristics to her piano?

8. Why are the migrant workers leaving the area in such large numbers?

9. Why is the lack of cranberry sauce such a poignant lack at Christmas dinner?

10. How do the children and the itinerant family interact with each other?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The dust takes on an almost human persona in this story. What is this literary technique called? Cite examples that support this position.

Essay Topic 2

Explain how Billie Jo's piano serves as a powerful metaphor in the story. Be sure to include the perspective on the piano both before and after Ma's death.

Essay Topic 3

Explain the thought process that Billie Jo has that prompts her to hop a train headed west. What prompts her to return home? What was the purpose of this experience for both Billie Jo and Daddy?

(see the answer keys)

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