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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 political party is the subject of discussion in Adolescence: Chapter 17?

2. Who threatens Lila after the school competition in Childhood: Chapter 9?

3. Who repeatedly asks that Lila be sent to school in Childhood: Chapter 15?

4. The Prologue of My Brilliant Friend takes place how many years after the beginning of Elena's narrative?

5. What does Elena describe Enzo doing in Childhood: Chapter 3?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is related of Donato Saratorre's story in Childhood: Chapter 4?

2. How does Don Achille respond to Lila asking for their dolls in Childhood: Chapter 14? What is revealed of his character through is response?

3. What is foreshadowed by the encounter between Lila, Elena, and the Solara brothers in Adolescence: Chapter 13?

4. What information does Elena learn from Rino in Chapter 3? How does she react to this information?

5. What new characters are introduced in Adolescence: Chapters 7 and 8? How are they described?

6. How would you describe Elena's behavior toward Rino in the phone calls in the Prologue and Chapters 1-3?

7. What exposition does the author reveal in the Prologue and Chapters 1-3?

8. What role does Don Achille play in the plot of My Brilliant Friend?

9. What leads to the family feuds and violence that erupts in Childhood: Chapters 8 and 9?

10. What questions does Donato Sarratore's book of poetry elicit after its publication?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the author's allusions to the novel Little Women in My Brilliant Friend. What impact does this novel have on Lila and Elena? How does it influence their actions? What are common themes between Little Women and My Brilliant Friend?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the character of Carmela Peluso. When does Carmela become friends with Lila and Elena? How would you characterize her personality and actions? How does Carmela's friendship affect the friendship between Lila and Elena?

Essay Topic 3

Describe and discuss the shoes that Lila and Rino design and create. What do the shoes represent symbolically for these characters in the novel? What do they represent to Elena and to the other characters? What is the significance of the appearance of the shoes in the end of the narrative?

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