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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. Why are there no mirrors in Leni's house in Chapter 15?

2. Where does Cora tell Leni to meet her in 40 minutes when Leni insists on saying goodbye to Matthew in Chapter 24?

3. What are described as the most destructive forces on earth in Chapter 20?

4. Who is Leni's court-appointed attorney in Chapter 30?

5. What book had Leni sent Matthew for his fifteenth birthday?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Large Marge do upon entering the courthouse in Chapter 30?

2. How does Matthew escape in Chapter 20?

3. How does Ernt respond when Leni calls out to Matthew for help in Kaneq in Part 2?

4. What plan do Leni and Cora devise immediately after Ernt's death?

5. When and where does Part 3 of the novel begin?

6. How does Leni respond when she visits Matthew at the care facility in Homer?

7. What does Ernt begin building after Mad Earl's funeral? Why?

8. How is the theme of deception developed in Chapters 17 and 18?

9. What causes Cora's death? What does she do before dying?

10. How does Large Marge help Cora and Leni after Ernt's death?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the impacts of alcoholism and post-traumatic stress disorder as explored in The Great Alone. What led to Ernt's PTSD? How did it change him? How does alcohol factor into Ernt's actions and behavior?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the author's employment of irony in The Great Alone. Give three examples of irony and discuss each. What is dramatic irony and how is it employed? What is verbal irony? How does situational irony come into play?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the importance of setting in The Great Alone. What role does setting play in the novel's plot? How does the author describe the setting? What imagery is employed in these descriptions?

(see the answer keys)

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