View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What style is Matt's poetry?

2. Who is Matt Harrison?

3. Why does Suzanne have time to examine her life?

4. How many balls does Suzanne have to keep balanced?

5. Who can Katie not talk to, though she needs to talk to someone?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Katie take comfort while dealing with her emotions?

2. What is the result of Suzanne's illness and what analogy does she use to explain what she decides?

3. What do Katie and Matt do in the evening after go to the museums?

4. What did Matt do for Katie during the month of June?

5. What is Katie doing at the opening of the novel?

6. What does Katie imagine about Suzanne and Matt as she is sobbing?

7. What does Suzanne say about Matt's house?

8. What does Katie remember about her thoughts concerning Matt?

9. What does Katie remember about the night she and Matt made love and Katie becomes pregnant?

10. What bothers her immensely about her relationship with Matt?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Choose one of the following to discuss:

1. Choose two significant symbols and trace and analyze their appearance in "Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas". Are these universal symbols? Would they be understood in any culture? Are there other symbols that would portray the same idea? What are they? Why do you think Patterson chooses the symbols he does?

2. Choose two important metaphors and trace and analyze their appearance in the novel. Are these universal metaphors? Would they be understood in any culture? Are there other metaphors that would portray the same idea? What are they? Why do you think Patterson chooses the metaphors he does?

3. Discuss Patterson's use (or lack ) of literary device (such as foreshadowing, cliffhangers, deux ex machina, etc.), and how they add or detract from the story. Does Patterson use too many or too little literary techniques? State which of the five major elements of fiction the literary device is related to (style, character, plot, setting, theme).

Essay Topic 2

Patterson is once again pulling all the emotional strings. Suzanne's heart attack gives her an enemy waiting to attack her life throughout the book. Heart disease can be fought but no one has a say when that heart will quit beating. Here she is a broken hearted heroine. With heart disease in her family, she has a target on that heart at all times. Next we have betrayal by the man she thought she loved. Betrayal of her body and then betrayal by her man.

1. Discuss reasons why Suzanne's heart attack would be considered an antagonist. Use examples from "Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas" and your own life to support your answer.

2. Discuss the metaphoric connotations that Suzanne's "heart is broken" might have following her heart attack. Use examples from "Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas" and your own life to support your answer.

3. Discuss the idea that one never knows when death will come and how that might be important in "Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas". Use examples from the book and your own life to support your answer.

Essay Topic 3

Discuss one of the following:

1. Trace and analyze the theme of growth in this story. Then consider the following questions as you write: What characters are most concerned with growth? Why? What are some symbols of growth? Symbols of rigidity? What characters seem rigid?

2. Trace and analyze the theme of courage in "Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas". Which characters struggle with this issue? Why? Which characters seem to possess courage? Why?

3. Trace and analyze the theme of death in "Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas". Consider the death of Mike as an random act of nature and the death of Luis as the result of conscious violence. Consider also in your answer the death of innocence in Rick from the beginning of the book to the end.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,082 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample