Microsoft word - english 1a.doc

English 1A
Grundmeier
The Glass Castle
Write your answers (letter only) on another piece of paper.

1. Jeannette is badly burned at the age of three, because
a.) her mother had gone for groceries. b.) she was playing with matches. c.) she was cooking hotdogs. 2. Jeannette and her family move a lot, because a.) they are always running from bill collectors. b.) they never like the homes they live in. c.) they’re accident-prone and mess up their homes. 3. Dad often takes the family to live a.) on the closest farm. b.) in the desert. c.) in the nearest big city. 4. Dad was so sure he could find gold, because a.) he had developed a machine called the Prospector. b.) he knew how to remove the gold from the rocks that surrounded it. c.) he had the backing of investors who liked his machine. 5. Mom is an artist who believes that the Joshua tree is beautiful, because a.) it had beautiful blossoms that come out once a year. b.) it is all bent and twisted because of the wind. c.) it stands alone in the desert. 6. Because he couldn’t afford Christmas gifts, Dad gave the kids 7. When the family moved to Battle Mountain, they ironically chose to live in a.) a tent. b.) a railroad station. c.) their car. 8. Dad said that Brian and Jeannette were lucky when the caused the explosion a.) because the got a little too close to the sun. b.) because they got a little too close to the boundary between order and turbulence. c.) because they got a little too close to death. 9. When the floor give way oin the their house, Dad repairs each break by using a.) a beer can as a patch. b.) a vodka bottle. c.) rotted wood from the woods near by. a.) falls asleep immediately. b.) listens intently to the priest. c.) argues out loud about the sermon. a.) tearing down the outside lights. b.) burning up the Christmas tree. c.) drinking during Midnight Mass. 12. Jeannette’s curiosity about prostitutes is disrupted when she meets Ginnie Sue Pastor, who is a prostitute, but a.) acts just like a mom. b.) also teaches school. c.) works in the local library. 13. When Brian and Jeannette find the diamond ring, Mom won’t use it to get food, because a.) she wants it to help her self-esteem. b.) she knows it belongs to the neighbor. c.) it reminds her of her mother’s ring. 14. Jeannette and Lori are saving for New York by a.) hiding their money in a hole under Jeannette’s bed. b.) opening a savings account at the local bank. c.) putting their money in a large pig named Oz. 15. By the time the family eats Thanksgiving dinner together a.) they no longer deal in recriminations. b.) they are still blaming each other for Maureen’s breakdowns. c.) they blame Maureen for Dad’s death.
Choose ONE of the following topics and write a well-developed essay.
Include a thesis. You may use your text for this part.

1. Discuss how fire is such a prominent motif in the lives of the Walls family. Why is it
important?
2. Mom has known all along that the land she owns is worth at least a million dollars, but
she never sold it to help buy food for her children. Why did she make this decision? Does
she feel any regret for the decision? What does this all say about her character? 3. Describe Dad’s character. What motivates him? Why do you believe he became an alcoholic? 4. How could parents be as neglectful as Rex and Rose Mary and still love their children? 5. Which is worst – Mom’s selfishness or Dad’s alcoholism? Why? 6. Describe the boundary between order and turbulence. How is it applicable to the Wall family? 7. What is the meaning of the title? Why might the author have chosen this title? 


Source: http://www.grundyenglish.foothill.net/creative/glass%20castle.pdf