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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 Plum remarks that she feels "weird" (143) after going to the waxing salon, to what is she referring?

2. When Plum reads Leeta's investigative journal entries, she sees that Leeta had always referred to Plum by what name?

3. What item does Plum put on before running outside during the bomb threat at The Calliope House that causes the other women to tease her?

4. What topic does Plum say that no one at The Calliope House ever discusses, but that Julia must discuss, due to her undercover work?

5. What aspect of cooking does Plum love the most?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the significance of Plum's ultrasound image?

2. When Plum dreams that she has lost a lot of weight by using Dabsitaf, what is the significance of her dream?

3. Who does Plum call when Verena tells Plum to call anyone who will notice she is missing once she moves into The Calliope House? What do her choices reveal about her life prior to connecting with the women of The Calliope House?

4. Describe "the Jennifer effect" (231) and its implications.

5. What does Plum see while following Kitty into a coffeehouse that stops Plum in her tracks?

6. What is the author's purpose for including a call from the bariatric surgery office right after what Plum terms to be "a perfect trip to the mall" (237)?

7. Describe the arc of Plum's writing career over the course of the novel.

8. How is allusion used within the scene when Sana and Plum discuss Plum's fears that her longing for Alicia will return?

9. What does Plum mean when she says that she will become "a different type of outlaw" (243)?

10. Discuss Plum's comments about her ability to be "like the lilac negligee woman" (234) from the lingerie ads or like Leeta.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Explicate the theme of indoctrination within the novel, particularly in relation to the novel's protagonist. What is the author's message regarding societal indoctrination and how do you know?

Essay Topic 2

What is the author's message regarding motherhood and what themes does the author employ in order to send these messages to the reader?

Essay Topic 3

How do the themes of fellowship and collaboration function within the novel and what is the author's message regarding these themes?

(see the answer keys)

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