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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 can Kitty's husband best be described?

2. What does Kitty tell Dot when she stops in one day?

3. What does Sabine do as Howard sits across the street from the house all day?

4. What does Bertie order Howard to do after she is hurt?

5. Who does Sabine think deserved to be the real magician's assistant?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is Sabine's dream as she naps with Kitty?

2. Who are Kitty's sons and what do they find fascinating about Sabine?

3. What is the result of Howard's feeling foolish during the magic trick?

4. What makes Sabine wonder if the people she loved put on brave faces for her?

5. Why does Dot think that her expectation that Guy would come home cause her to lose him forever?

6. What does Sabine wonder about the residents of Alliance as they drive Bertie to the emergency room?

7. What makes Sabine think about her father when Kitty speaks to her about her own boys?

8. Why does Sabine realize a newfound respect for Howard?

9. Why does Kitty fear that Sabine will never want to visit the Fetters family again?

10. How is Parsifal's true past so different from the one Sabine had always envisioned?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The author uses more than one instance of irony in the book. Cite at least two other examples you can identify in the book and note why they are examples of irony.

Essay Topic 2

Explain the role of the women in the novel, specifically, how did Dot's life differ from that of Sabine's in the next generation? In what ways is Dot's life mirrored in Kitty's life? What roles do family, culture and experiences play in forming a woman's character and life story?

Essay Topic 3

What are the two major settings for the novel? Be sure to include geography, time period and any pertinent popular culture events. Why did Patchett choose to use these places in the novel?

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This section contains 1,049 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample