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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. How do the women next to Avey know she is really sick?

2. What is Avey doing at the beginning of Chapter 4?

3. Avey recalls that Marion always looked at her parents as if _____________________.

4. On the beach, Avey thinks and moves like ______________.

5. Why did Avey's family go to Bear Mountain when she was a girl?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Avey know she has come back to herself?

2. Describe the awakening Avey, who is subconsciously preparing to reclaim her life, experiences.

3. What is revealed about the women on the boat by the way they care for Avey?

4. How does the present day Avey mirror what the little girl Avey was experiencing in the dream?

5. Describe how Avey's massage becomes almost like a sacred ritual in renewing her in body and spirit.

6. What does Avey reminisce about her father and family trips as she is waiting on the dock?

7. In what ways is Avey's meltdown at the hotel a clearing of the path for her spiritually?

8. What is Juba and what might it mean for Avey?

9. What did the preacher say was the purpose of the sermon about the risen Christ?

10. Avey now longs for her husband "Jay" who "died" when Jerome came to the forefront and made them an affluent family. To what holiday situation does Avey compare this longing?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Explain the concept of loneliness as it exhibits in the story. Which of the characters are lonely? Are they all lonely in some way? Explain the loneliness and the methods and attempts to overcome it.

Essay Topic 2

Describe the girls and women in Avey's life. What role do they serve in her development? What lasting impact has Great Aunt Cuney served? How does Avey manage through the ups and downs with each of the girls and women in her life? What do they all have in common? Explain.

Essay Topic 3

Explain Marshall's use of regionalism in the novel. Cite examples of at least two different instances of regionalism and explain why the author used them where she did.

(see the answer keys)

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