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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. Who was James named after?

2. What kind of career did Andrew want to pursue in New York?

3. Who taught James to drive?

4. Where does Ruth's father go to get divorce papers?

5. Where does David work?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Andrew help Ruth get over her mother's death?

2. Why is James anxious to move to Delaware?

3. How does Rocky try to take advantage of Ruth?

4. How is Ruth's life getting better at the age of sixty five?

5. In what way does James think his mother is a success?

6. Describe the time James tried to teach his mother how to drive.

7. How does James feel about his father?

8. What does James later learn about his mother's driving skills?

9. Summarize the book.

10. Why do Ruth's parents refuse to get a divorce?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Examine how James' life compares with his mother's.

1) What individual difficulties did both characters endure?

2 How did they use their experiences in life to help one another?

Essay Topic 2

What events in James' early life influenced him to become a musician? How different do the students think James' life would have been if she had not grown up in poverty?

Essay Topic 3

Examine what the following generations experienced during their time in America:

1) Ruth's grandparents

2) Ruth's parents

3) Ruth and her siblings

4) James and his siblings

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 769 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample