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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 does Jeannette contact Rose Mary to set up a meeting in Part 1?

2. What happens to greatly improve Lori's situation at school and home?

3. Why won't Rose Mary talk about her homelessness?

4. Where did Rex grow up?

5. Jeannette has how many siblings?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does the author feel towards her parents in light of the circumstances of her childhood?

2. What is Rose Mary's reply in Part 1 to Jeannette's asking her what she should tell others about her mother?

3. Why does Jeannette ask the cab driver to go back to the apartment after she sees her mother from afar in Part 1?

4. Why do you think Rose Mary continues to refuse help from her adult children?

5. How is the accident when Jeannette gets burned symbolic of her childhood as a whole?

6. What event happened the day that Rose Mary and Rex met, that Rex says caused him to fall in love with her?

7. How was Jeannette's childhood atypical?

8. What are some examples of the neglect that the children suffer during their time in both Battle Mountain and in Phoenix?

9. What does Grandma Smith provide for Jeannette that she doesn't get at home?

10. How does the author describe her father in Part 2 of the book?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The title of the memoir is significant in its symbolism as something unfinished, or unrealized within the author's family. Discuss the title and its significance, considering the following:

1) How does the glass castle represent the unrealized dreams of the family, or the things that the family may never have?

2) What does the glass castle mean to Rex? How does it represent Rex's unrealized potential?

2) Why do you feel that the author chose this title? How does it relate to the memoir as a whole, and to her feelings about her childhood?

Essay Topic 2

The Walls siblings all find different ways to deal with their difficult circumstances. Compare and contrast the responses of Lori, Maureen, Brian, and Jeannette to the stresses of living without resources.

1) How does each of the children deal with their problems emotionally?

2) How do some, if any, of the children work together to relieve some of their misery?

3) What does each of the children do to try to get what they need?

Essay Topic 3

Rose Mary describes herself as an "excitement addict" at one point in the book. How does Rose Mary view herself?

Discuss:

1) What does she mean when she says that she is an excitement addict? Give examples of her behavior that support this view of herself.

2) How does she justify her behavior when it threatens her children's well-being?

3) What is her philosophy of life and how does it influence her parenting style?

(see the answer keys)

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