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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 has happened to Sam's mother recently in Chapter 3?

2. Who is Sam's daughter?

3. Why do Ally and her boyfriend keep their relationship secret?

4. What does Sam do every day to try to keep a connection with her daughter?

5. What does Sam's husband send for her first day in the house?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Sam afford the house she buys in Part I?

2. What does Sam do to try to keep in touch with Ally?

3. What does Sam think of MH when she first meets her?

4. Why does MH tell Sam she does open-mic night at the Smiley Face?

5. What does Ally think about one day telling Sam about her secret relationship?

6. What is Ally's relationship with Lily like?

7. What is Matt's first reaction when Sam tells him she is leaving him?

8. What begins emerging as a source of tension between Ally and Sam early on in Ally's adolescence?

9. In Chapter 6, what does Matt ask Sam to do regarding their daughter Ally?

10. What happens when Sam goes to a community meeting in her new neighborhood?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What drives Sam to talk about such intimate parts of her personal life - especially those involving Ally - at the open-mic night? Why does Ally get so upset when she hears Sam's routine? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 2

How and why does Sam seem to finally make peace with relinquishing some control over Ally's life? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 3

How does Spiotta explain, in some cases by comparison and contrast, the different ways the main female characters in this novel deal with the aging process? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 620 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample