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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. When Riley first asks Bec how her sister died, what is Bec's answer?

2. In what city is the QueerAlliance center?

3. What word is mentioned in the message that indicates to Riley that someone at school has figured out the connection between Riley and Alix?

4. What movie is playing the night Bec takes Riley to the fire escape?

5. What does Riley do with their ruined textbooks after they discover their locker has been vandalized?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Congressman Sean Cavanaugh say to Riley that causes Riley to angrily defend themselves?

2. Which of the reporters' questions make it clear to Riley that they have been outed against their will?

3. Where does Bec actually take Riley after saying that they will be going out to clubs together?

4. What advice does Riley give to the girl who writes a message about her brother keeping a box of girl's clothes in his closet?

5. What is the reason for Riley's decision to continue responding to people who ask questions on the blog?

6. When Riley first sees the ketchup and honey that have been poured into their locker, what substance do they think is covering their books?

7. What quality of Riley's father's personality inspires Riley's envy?

8. What is the significance of the note taped to the inside of Riley's vandalized locker?

9. What differences does Riley point out when saying how the media reacts to the story about Andie Gingham differently than how the LGBTQ community reacts to the story?

10. What does Riley see as the connection between Riley's father and Jim's father?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Explicate the theme of isolation within the novel, particularly in relation to the novel's protagonist. What is the author's message regarding isolation and how do you know?

Essay Topic 2

Analyze the significance of the novel's ending and its connection to featured themes across the text.

Essay Topic 3

William Faulkner once famously claimed that the most important literature deals with the subject of the human heart in conflict with itself. Explain how the theme of the Individual versus Society is demonstrated within Jeff Garvin's novel Symptoms of Being Human. Create a decisive, arguable claim and prove it with quotes from the book.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,172 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample