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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. A was friends with people of many races and ethnicities, except which?

2. Why does A feel that she always had to be strong?

3. How did A get rich?

4. What does A say about the boys she used to dance with?

5. How did A feel about being tall when she was younger?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does A describe her relationship with Sis in Act 1, Part 3?

2. How does C respond when A tells her to "grow up" in Act 2, Part 1?

3. What qualities did Sis have that made A jealous of her?

4. What is the significance of Sis's character?

5. Why does C object to the way A describes her husband in Act 1, Part 2?

6. Why does A cry after mentioning that she was taller than Sis in Act 1, Part 3?

7. What does C say about how she and Sis made a living in Act 2, Part 1?

8. What does A say about her reconciliation with her son in Act 2, Part 3?

9. What does C decide to do after her conversation with B about death?

10. What happened to A's arm?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Fear of death and making peace with that fear is an important theme in the play. What is C's attitude toward death? What about B's? How does A feel about death? How does her attitude differ from B's and C's? What changes have enabled A to come to terms with her fear of death? Be sure to cite specific examples from the text to support your thesis.

Essay Topic 2

A turning point in the play was when A had her stroke at the end of Act 1. What are the changes that take place for A between Act 1 and Act 2 (aside from the obvious)? How does her stroke enable her to begin to come to terms with her past? Would she be able to make these changes in her character in any other way? Why or why not? Be sure to cite specific examples from the text to support your thesis.

Essay Topic 3

A, B, and C all have different ideas of the best time of life. C feels that all the good times ended with her, B feels that middle age is the best time, and A feels that the best time is at the end. What are the reasons that each woman gives for her favorite time of life? Which one do you most agree with? Why? Be sure to cite specific examples from the text to support your thesis.

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