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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. When Mclean hears her father yelling in the restaurant, she knows that ___________________.

2. What does Mclean do with her stepsister and stepbrother while her mother unloads the car at the beach house?

3. What had Mclean's parents not realized about her?

4. What does Mclean's mother's friend bring to the house for Mclean?

5. What is Mclean's mother doing when Mclean sees her on TV?

Short Essay Questions

1. What are Mclean's evolving thoughts about what home really is as she and her parents talk about the future?

2. How does Gus show his commitment to making the restaurant a success?

3. What does Mclean offer to do in exchange for her mother dropping the new custody arrangement?

4. In what ways does Mclean begin to see her mother in a new light?

5. Explain the foreshadowing used by the author when she mentions Mclean's old car?

6. What options does Mclean have regarding her father's move to Hawaii?

7. Where does Mclean go after she leaves the beach house and who does she call to comfort her?

8. What is different about this new place for Mclean and her father that typically doesn't happen?

9. How does Mclean learn about her father's new job in Hawaii and how does she feel about going there?

10. How does Mclean's mother respond when Mclean confronts her on the phone about the choices her mother has made that have impacted their lives?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe the overall setting for the story. Why does the author use the setting she does? What is the time period of the story? How important is the time period to the attitudes and issues of the characters?

Essay Topic 2

Create a brief character study of Mclean. What did she look like? What were her positive personality traits? What were her dreams and fears? What was most valuable to her in her world?

Essay Topic 3

Explain Sarah Dessen's use of regionalism in the book. Cite examples of at least two different instances of regionalism and explain why the author used them where she did.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,066 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample