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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Which of Willem's family members dies first?
(a) Sven.
(b) His father.
(c) Hemming.
(d) His mother.

2. Around what location had Willem liked to push Hemming's wheelchair as Hemming enjoyed the ride?
(a) The riverside.
(b) The track.
(c) The ranch.
(d) The grocery store parking lot.

3. Upon the opening of the novel, Jude has just graduated from what kind of school?
(a) Medical school.
(b) Art school.
(c) Law school.
(d) High school.

4. What does Malcolm's father do for a living?
(a) He is a doctor.
(b) He is an architect.
(c) He is a stockbroker.
(d) He is a lawyer.

5. In addition to earning a law degree, Jude earns a degree in what other field?
(a) Mathematics.
(b) Physics.
(c) Marketing.
(d) Biology.

Short Answer Questions

1. Harold and Julia tell Jude that they wish to adopt him on the day after what holiday?

2. While Jude's college friends do not know much about his childhood, they do know that Jude had no what?

3. Who is looking at an apartment on Lispenard Street in the novel's opening scene?

4. To what location does Jude go on a rare occasion outside of the monastery?

5. What strategy does Willem adopt during Jude's episodes of extreme pain?

Short Essay Questions

1. What happens to necessitate the use of the fire escape?

2. In what way is the theme of acquiescence included in the first part of A Little Life?

3. Discuss a time when Yanigihara uses a metaphor to represent some aspect of friendship.

4. Characterize the priests' attitudes about Jude's pursuit of knowledge about his own past.

5. In what ways does Jude feel out-of-step with the rest of his peers' experiences?

6. In what way are the themes of secrecy and control depicted in Part II: The Postman?

7. How does Yanigihara want the reader to view Jude's decision to keep his past a secret and how do you know?

8. Discuss the socioeconomic gaps present among the group of four friends: Malcolm, JB, Willem, and Jude.

9. Who is JB and how does he enter the story?

10. Characterize Willem's relationship with his parents prior to their deaths.

(see the answer keys)

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