View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Ford find in her grandmother's bedroom right before Christmas one year?

2. In Chapter 11, what is the easiest way for a child to lose a seat at the adult table?

3. What does Ford do every Saturday with her grandmother in Chapter 7?

4. Who is Ford happiest to see when she returns home in Chapter 8?

5. In Chapter 5, what does Ford think her mother sometimes needs her to do as a child?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Ford remember life on her great-grandfather's farm in Missouri?

2. What does Ford's grandmother tell her about the snakes that fold tighter together as they burn?

3. In Chapter 7, what happens that traumatizes Ford's mother?

4. What does Ford often do in Chapter 1 as a way to both calm herself and demonstrate love for her partner?

5. How does Ford remember the process of having her hair relaxed in Chapter 5?

6. What kind of relationship does Ford have with her brother R.C. when they are children?

7. What does Ford's mother do when she hears from Ford's teacher Mrs. York that Ford has said inappropriate things in school?

8. How does Ford remember Grandma Billie's appearance when she was a child?

9. In Chapter 10, what does Ford's grandfather do in front of her that horrifies her?

10. Why does Ford become so fixated on seeing the sunrise for the first time?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Ford begins her memoir with the shocking news that her father is finally being released from prison after serving a decades-long sentence for rape. Write an essay exploring the range of Ford's feelings upon hearing this news, citing specific references to the text to help support your answers.

Essay Topic 2

How does Ford's mother's experience of stillbirth seem to change her? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 3

At the end of the memoir, how does Ford describe the evolution of her relationship with her mother? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 618 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample