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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. What phrase began creeping into the author's journal entries in April, according to Bechdel in Chapter 5?

2. What is the title of Chapter 5?

3. At what time of the day does Bruce Bechdel's obituary cite him as dying?

4. What were the imaginary names that the author and her friend Beth used when they dressed in her father's clothing in Chapter 6?

5. How many Bechdel families were listed in the phone book in the author's home town, as accounted in Chapter 5?

Short Essay Questions

1. When did Alison Bechdel's obsessive-compulsive tendencies begin to appear? What did they entail?

2. How does Bechdel describe the political atmosphere when she was 13 in Chapter 6?

3. How does Bechdel describe her mother's talents in Chapter 5?

4. What did the author learn about obsessive-compulsive disorder from reading Dr. Spock?

5. How did the author overcome her obsessive-compulsive tendencies?

6. Why did Bruce Bechdel tell his daughter he was going to Danville in Chapter 6?

7. How did the author feel about rehearsing lines with her mother in Chapter 6?

8. With whom did Alison Bechdel and her brothers go to stay for several days in Chapter 6? Why?

9. What is described in the police report that the author illustrates in Chapter 6?

10. What is revealed of Bruce Bechdel's obituary in Chapter 5?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe and discuss the dream imagery that Bechdel presents in Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic. How would you describe the images of these dream sequences? What similes, metaphors, and other literary devices are employed in the dream imagery?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the political and historical allusions in Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic. How does the author describe the political atmosphere in America during her childhood and adolescence? What major historical events took place at this time? How did they shape the author's life and outlook?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the author's literary allusions to Albert Camus in Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic. What works by Camus does the author allude to in the narrative? How does Bechdel connect Camus to her father's death? What are common themes between the works of Camus and Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic?

(see the answer keys)

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