The Glass Castle - Unit Test

  1. Where does Jeannette see her mother at the beginning of the memoir?

At the beginning of the memoir, Jeannette sees her mother in New York City, digging out of a dumpster in rags while she’s in a taxi, wondering if she’s overdressed for a party.

  1. What two addictions does Rex Walls suffer from?

Rex Walls suffers from alcoholism and a dependence on grandiose schemes (ambitious projects, like the Glass Castle)

  1. What doll does Jeannette accidentally burn?

Jeannette accidentally burns her Tinkerbell doll (symbolizes instability)

  1. What career does Rose Mary want?

Rose Mary wants to pursue a career as an artist (spends her time painting and sketching)

  1. What is Jeannette’s first memory?

Her first memory was standing on a chair above the stove boiling hot dogs. She accidentally caught her dress on fire.

  1. Why does Rex take his kids to the zoo?

Rex takes his kids to the zoo to demonstrate his belief that wild animals aren’t dangerous if treated properly.

  1. Why does Maureen get arrested?

Maureen gets arrested because she stabs Rose Mary as a response to hearing that she couldn’t live with them anymore

  1. What does Jeannette try for the first time in the hospital?

Jeannette tries chewing gum for the first time.

  1. What are the names of Jeannette’s three sisters?

Lori, Maureen, and she has a brother named Billy.

  1. How does Jeannette cover up the holes in her pants?

Jeannette covers up her holes with a marker.

  1. What does Jeannette request for her tenth birthday?

Jeannette requests for her dad to stop drinking.

  1. How does Jeannette increase sales of the school newspaper?

Jeannette increases sales by including a birthday column

  1. When does Jeannette move to New York?

Jeannette moves after junior year (17).

  1. Who is the African-American girl Jeannette befriends in Welch?

Jeannette befriends Dinitia Hewitt after she defends her from a dog.

  1. Why is Dinitia arrested?

Dinitia is arrested for stabbing her mom’s boyfriend.

  1. Where does Jeannette learn to swim?

Jeannette learns to swim in a sulfur spring called “The Hot Pot”.

  1. What is Rex always promising to build for his family to live in?

The Glass Castle.

  1. What does Lori decide to do as a career?

Lori decides to pursue a career as an artist.

  1. What is Rex’s nickname for Jeannette?

Mountain Goat.

  1. Which hero of Rex’s visits Welch?

Chuck Yeager visits and gives an inspirational speech.

  1. Jeannette attends ___________ College

Barnard.

  1. What is the Green Lantern?

A brothel where prostitutes live and work

  1. What happens to the money the Walls children save in Oz, the piggy bank?

Rex steals it.

  1. What type of restaurant does Lori work at in New York?

Lori works in a German restaurant (Zum Zum).

  1. What is the name of Jeannette’s first husband?

Eric Goldberg.

  1. Dad is known for doing “the skedaddle,” which is what?

Picking a random time and leaving the current town they’re staying at. They’re only allowed to pick one item to take.

  1. In the battle of Little Hobart Street, Brian and Jeannette fight against ________ and win.

Ernie Goad

  1. When dad “gives” each child a star for Christmas, what is he teaching them?

Material things don’t matter and a star is a gift that will last forever.

  1. What does Jeannette find out about her mother’s finances in Part 4 that surprises her?

She owned land that costed millions of dollars.

  1. When the family arrives in Welch, they live where?

Little Hobart Street.

  1. Why does Rose Mary dislike her teaching job?

Teaching requires organization and discipline, which Rose Mary was against.

  1. What type of plant is Rose Mary fascinated by in the desert?

Rosemary is fascinated by the cacti in the desert as she sees them as beautiful and resilient.

  1. Where does Maureen spend most of her time during adolescence (Welch)?

Maureen spends most of her time at her friend's houses.

  1. Jeannette’s boss at the newspaper encourages her to do what?

Jeannette’s boss encourages her to write a personal story about her difficult upbringing.

  1. When Rex is able to get to the family’s money, what does he spend it on?

Alcohol, cigarettes, and other personal items.

  1. When Jeannette is sent to get Rex (in Welch), where does she finally find him?

Jeannette finds Rex in the local pool hall (the 4th bar she goes to).

  1. What is Brian doing as he enters adolescence (Welch)?

Brian gets into more fights and takes on a more protective role towards his younger siblings.

  1. Why do the Walls children end up in special education classes?

Their inconsistent and lacking education because of the constant moving left gaps in their academic knowledge.

  1. What does Jeannette try to talk her mother into doing to improve their lives?

Jeannette tries to convince her mother to get a stable job to provide for her family.

  1. How does Rose Mary try to keep Rex from spending the family’s money (The Desert)?

She tells Rex that she left it at school and hid it until she went to the bank.

  1. How do the Walls children get along socially at their new school in Welch?

They struggle with making new friends in Welch and are sometimes targeted by other kids.

  1. What does Rose Mary hope to do while they are living in Phoenix?

She hopes they can open an art gallery.

  1. What is Jeannette’s occupation in New York (Part 4, NYC/5 Thanksgiving)?

Jeannette is a full-time reporter at a newspaper.

  1. What happens that saves Jeannette from having to drop out of college due to financial problems?

Her father (Rex) wins $950 from a poker game which helps her finish to graduate.

  1. After Jeannette’s divorce, what type of life does she choose to live? (NYC, Thanksgiving)

Jeannette decides to live a much simpler life and moves to the West Side of NYC.

  1. How does Jeannette learn to swim?

At the sulfur spring, her dad throws her into the middle of the spring which forces her to learn by drowning over and over until she figures out how to float.

  1. Why does the family’s financial situation improve for a time while living in Phoenix?

Rex is able to take on many stable jobs and stops drinking, and Rose Mary inherits a large adobe house from her grandmother which costs a lot of money.

  1. Rex dies during Part 4 as a result of:

Heart attack.

  1. The family often lacks basic needs, which is underscored by an incident in which Jeannette finds Lori eating what? 

Lori is seen eating wallpaper paste.