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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 does O'Connor say is the ultimate reality?

2. What were the subjects called when O'Connor was in high school?

3. What author does O'Connor point to in the first sentence of The Church and the Fiction Writer?

4. Who wrote an essay saying the woman of the future will know nothing of mystery or manners?

5. What family member of O'Connor's reviewed her novel for her high school class?

Short Essay Questions

1. What story does O'Connor tell at the beginning of "Catholic Novelists and Their Readers"?

2. How does O'Connor respond to those who say that Catholics cannot be artists?

3. What does O'Connor say about absolutes in fiction, particularly religious fiction?

4. What does O'Connor say about her book when she reviews it for class?

5. How does O'Connor say that fiction writers and English teachers have common ground?

6. What does O'Connor say should be the result of the proper study of literature?

7. How does O'Connor respond to the idea that there is a lack of good Catholic writing in America?

8. What does O'Connor say to those who say that Catholics are too restrained by their rigorous Catholic education to write creatively?

9. What problem does O'Connor say Catholic writers face?

10. Why might a Catholic writer have to include more violence in his work than he is comfortable with?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What does O'Connor say about being labeled a Southern writer? Does she feel that it is beneficial to wear this label? What problems does she run into because she is labeled a Southern writer? Based on her tone, how does she seem to feel about how those writing in the South are perceived to always be writing about the South?

Essay Topic 2

What does O'Connor mean when she says that the greatest dramas occur when there is salvation or the loss of a soul? How do these plot devices create interesting stories for the reader? What about the reader who does not believe in salvation or sin? Do you think nonbelievers can fully enjoy fiction written with a religious slant?

Essay Topic 3

Explore O'Connor's view that writers should veer away from abstract concepts. What is her stance on using symbols in fiction? When do they work? What is the problem with the way writers use them? How does O'Connor say she uses symbols? How should using symbols tie into addressing reality?

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