Lafontaine
Semester 1 Final Exam: Reading Workshop
Directions: 1) Print this document. 2) Open a Microsoft Word Document. 3) Respond to both
essay prompts about The Lovely Bones. 4) Follow the directions and requirements given for each
prompt. 5) Save your work periodically throughout the 90 minutes. Save your final work in your
H drive. 6) Send your final copy to me as an attachment. Make sure your file ends in .docx
before sending it.
You have 90 minutes to write. You may use your notes and your book. Good luck!
Prompt 1
The following is an important quotation from the novel about letting go and the connection
between the dead and the living: “When the dead are done with the living, the living can go on to
other things,“ Franny said. “What about the dead?“ I asked. “Where do we go?” (p. 145)
How does Susie hang onto the living?
What are the different scenes in the novel that show she if finally letting go of the living?
Why do you think Susie had such a hard time letting go of the living?
What did she need to accomplish before she could let go.
Be sure to address all of these questions in your response. Use SPECIFIC DETAILS AND
QUOTATIONS from the novel to support your ideas.
Go to page two for the second prompt. You are required to answer both.
__________/100 points
Rubric
All parts of the question are
addressed in the response
Student shows familiarity and
understanding of the novel through
his/her response
Student shows analytical and critical
thinking through his/her response.
Student uses specific details from the
novel to support his/her ideas
Student uses quotations from the
novel to support his/her ideas
Total
________/100
100-90 Exceeds
89-60
Meets
59-0
Does not meet
Lafontaine
Prompt 2
Alice Sebold’s The Lovely Bones explores the different ways in which people deal
with grief when they lose a loved one. When Susie Salmon is killed on her way
home from school, her family and friends members of her family all deal differently
with their grief. For example, Jack (her dad) becomes obsessed with finding the
killer, going so far as to attack a boy in a cornfield when he mistakes him for Susie’s
murderer.
Write a character analysis of ALL of the following main characters in the novel:
Jack (her dad),
Abigail (her mother),
Lindsey (her sister),
Ray Singh (her friend and first kiss) and
Ruth (the girl she “touched” before leaving for heaven).
Analyze the the ways in which they deal with their own private grief over
Susie’s murder. Provide SPECIFIC DETAILS AND QUOTATIONS from the
novel to support your ideas.
__________/100 points
Rubric
All parts of the question are
addressed in the response
Student shows familiarity and
understanding of the novel
through his/her response
Student shows analytical and
critical thinking through his/her
response.
Student uses specific details from
the novel to support his/her ideas
Student uses quotations from the
novel to support his/her ideas
Total
________/100
100-90
Exceeds
89-60
Meets
59-0
Does not meet