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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. Betsy Goodman states that she is...
2. Lisa sarcastically says she admires a particular books titled...
3. Mary Nell Fickett's approach to helping Lisa Shilling initially consists of...
4. Which character begins the novel with a goal to be the first woman justice on the Supreme Court and ends the novel contemplating a career in psychology?
5. According to the narrator, who "counts less" (p. 12) than anyone else in the novel?
Short Essay Questions
1. Why does the narrator spend so much time establishing which protagonist is better looking, which is more intelligent, and which is from a wealthier family?
2. Why does Elizabeth Frazer gradually become the de facto decision-maker of what is and is not good for Lisa Shilling?
3. Why does Lisa Shilling feel more comfortable with her new friend Betsy Goodman than with her older friend Mary Nell Fickett?
4. Why does Lisa Shilling find herself attracted to Elizabeth Frazer, as a potential friend?
5. What kind of a job does Mr. Goodman do as an insurance salesman?
6. What kind of a job does Jeremy Bernstein do as the high school guidance counselor?
7. Describe Mary Nell Fickett's and Besty Goodman's initial attempts to secure professional help for their friend Lisa Shilling.
8. What kind of a job does Rev. Fickett do as a church reverend?
9. Why does Betsy Goodman self-describe as the least important person in the narrative?
10. Based on the various descriptions of the four main protagonists' families, do you believe they would all go to the same public high school?
Essay Topics
Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:
Essay Topic 1
Describe the family dynamics of the Shilling family. What do the parents spend their time doing? What do the children spend their time doing? Who talks to whom? Also, who doesn't communicate?
Essay Topic 2
Examine the role of race in the novel--do characters act appropriate for their race? Indeed, what race are the characters? What tale-tell signs indicate race in fiction?
Essay Topic 3
Assume that the basis of all criticism is the reader's response to the text. Without focusing on a critical theory, describe your reaction to the text. Did you like the book? Why or why not? What aspects (if any) of the novel did you particularly like, and why? What aspects (if any) did you particularly dislike, and why?
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This section contains 1,080 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) |
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