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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. What does Son learn about June's estate?

2. Why did Cecilia not want to marry Son?

3. Where does Rose go after spending only one night in the farmhouse?

4. Sissy comes home from school one day and sees a girl ________________ in front of St. Elizabeth's.

5. What does Rose offer to do for Sissy?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who is the sole beneficiary of June's estate?

2. What does Son say about being wounded and Cecilia's not wanting to marry him?

3. What does Sissy realize about her mother when they are driving in the car?

4. What does Rose do after the family moves into the farmhouse?

5. When did Sissy learn that she was not adopted?

6. What is the nature of the relationship between Sissy and Rose at this point in time?

7. How does Son's injury make Sissy even more resentful of her mother's distant behavior?

8. Why is Son concerned about Rose and Sissy after Sissy's birth?

9. How have the driving lessons provides some hope for a better relationship between Sissy and Rose?

10. What does Thomas leave for Sissy before he goes?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Project into the future ten years after the end of the novel and write a brief synopsis for Sissy's life. Will Rose still be such a powerful presence in her life? What is her relationship with Son? Did she develop a relationship with Thomas? Explain your ideas.

Essay Topic 2

Does Patchett end the story on a note of hope for Sissy or the continuance of her struggle to come to terms with her flawed relationship with Rose? Give your perspective and two reasons to support your answer.

Essay Topic 3

Abandonment seems to be almost an unnamed character in the book. How pervasive is the sense of abandonment? Why does it have such a prevalent place in the lives of the characters? Explain how an inanimate object or characteristic can be a character.

(see the answer keys)

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