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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. Where does William's daughter go to college?

2. In the first chapter, how long has it been since Abigail has seen one of Margaret's children?

3. Who says, "Not being pretty...it worries a girl"?

4. What is squirming "helplessly on the boards" of the porch?

5. In Abigail's imagination, who stands next to her on the porch in the first Book of Abigail?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe Lorena Adams.

2. In the first Book of Abigail, what does Abigail remember of being a child in this house?

3. How does William live his life after the death of his wife and son?

4. What memories does Abigail think of after she thinks the owl flies over the river?

5. What does the narrator mean when she says that the county will find out about her oldest daughters being sent away because "they always know everything"?

6. Explain the term Freejack.

7. In addition to the month being stated, what other clues about the season is the reader given in the first paragraph?

8. What is the reaction when William subscribes to the New York Tribune at his daughter's request?

9. Describe Abigail, William's daughter, as a child.

10. Why is the November evening so quiet and final?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The Providence River is mentioned three times within the first six pages. Discuss the possible significance of the river in the story.

Essay Topic 2

At the end of the first section, Abigail admits that if she were to be honest, she would wish that Robert weren't alive. Discuss this statement. Does this make Abigail evil?

Essay Topic 3

Describe what the author means by "keep your heart ticking under the sheltering arches of your ribs."

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This section contains 788 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample