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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 do Ruth and Ray spend a lot of time talking about Susie?

2. Which piece had Susie always used in the board game the family plays at Christmas?

3. Who is Ruth Connors?

4. What kinds of stories does Susie's father like to tell about his children?

5. How does Det. Fenerman respond to Jack's first phone call about Mr. Harvey being involved in the death of his daughter?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who is Claire?

2. How do Buckley's family members respond when he mentions that he sees Susie all the time after her death?

3. What does Jack's breaking of the ships in the bottle symbolize?

4. What does the reader learn about Susie from how easily she goes into Mr. Harvey's secret room?

5. How does Mr. Harvey dispose of Susie's body?

6. What first makes Susie start to think that there might be other heavens other than just her own?

7. Why does Nate have such a hard time believing Buckley when he says he sees his sister's ghost?

8. Why do Ray and Ruth decide Susie must be happier after her murder?

9. Why is the first picture Susie takes of her mother so memorable to Susie?

10. When Samuel Heckler first meets the Salmon family, what does the reader learn about him?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Throughout The Lovely Bones, there are several situations where characters come to a realization about something, but not an acceptance about it. In a well-structured essay, discuss 1) the difference between realizing something and accepting it, 2) at least two situations/characters where this discrepancy is obvious, and 3) when, if ever, these characters come to accept something that they had earlier only realized.

Essay Topic 2

The "Snapshots" chapter is unlike any other in The Lovely Bones. Discuss what function it serves in the text and why Sebold may have chosen to switch to this style in the middle of the novel (and then switch back in the very next chapter).

Essay Topic 3

What do you think the name of the book means? Use at least three examples (or characters) from the text to support your hypothesis.

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