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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 is the title of a typewritten note that Tookie finds when she is setting up the till at the end of January?

2. How much cash was Tookie able to get from the check Danae gave her before it cleared?

3. For how many years was Tookie sentence for her crime?

4. How old was Flora when she died?

5. In "Ragged Bookstore Romance," how far does a customer drive to get the Clarice Lispector?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Tookie blame the book for after a violent storm?

2. After the cremation, why does Tookie believe that Flora is gone and then changes her mind?

3. What happens when Tookie is reading the book Flora was reading when she died?

4. How does Tookie try to get rid of Flora's book?

5. What was Tookie doing when she was called into the warden's office at Waseca?

6. Where did Tookie get a job after she got out of prison?

7. What is Pollux's history?

8. How does Tookie offend Hetta?

9. How do Tookie and Pollux celebrate the New Year?

10. What does Tookie say about Flora's visits in "Blue"?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Metaphors and similes are figures of speech that are used to make comparisons between things. Metaphors seem to imply an equal comparison, while similes seem to imply a similarity between two things. Does the author use more metaphors or similes in the novel? How does the use of metaphors or similes help readers comprehend concepts? How does the use of metaphors or similes help readers make the writing more interesting?

Essay Topic 2

Idioms are words that have a figurative, rather than a literal meaning. How does the author use idioms in the book? Why are the idioms sometimes difficult to understand? Why do the idioms often require research to understand their meaning?

Essay Topic 3

What a reader knows about events and characters is determined by the point of view in a book. What is the point of view in the book? How does the author use different points of view? How do these points of view influence what readers know about events and people?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,052 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample