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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. In what field did the unnamed narrator work while she was married to John?

2. During the unnamed narrator's adolescence, what is NOT mentioned as an object she and other young women were urged to carry?

3. The unnamed narrator continually ate what kind of food throughout the gathering of mothers of infants?

4. The unnamed narrator states in San Francisco, 2012 that taking what action is "difficult and painful" (95)?

5. What is NOT one of the feelings the unnamed narrator had toward John after she confessed to her infidelity?

Short Essay Questions

1. In what way does Popkey purposely mislead the reader at the start of the section called San Francisco, 2012?

2. How does Popkey employ a metaphor to indicate the pain the unnamed narrator caused John with her infidelity?

3. When the identity of the father of the unnamed narrator's child is finally revealed, who is it?

4. In what way does the unnamed narrator find her previous view of intimacy problematic?

5. What three feelings does the unnamed narrator recall feeling when John expressed interest in marriage counseling?

6. How does the unnamed narrator describe the fertility problems she and John experienced during their marriage?

7. What are the contents of the story that the woman in Santa Barbara told the unnamed narrator as they swam in the ocean?

8. What tactics did the unnamed narrator use to help herself summon enthusiasm about pursuing a pregnancy with John?

9. Discuss at least one negative coping mechanism that the unnamed narrator uses once she has gotten sober.

10. Describe the difference between the unnamed narrator's view of therapy in 2014 and her current view.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Analyze the interplay between the final passages in Topics of Conversation and one of the novel's main messages. How does Popkey make connections between these elements and how does their juxtaposition help them get across one main message of the novel?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss Popkey’s messages concerning the nature of security. Does the text indicate that it is dangerous or crucial? Choose one adjective and prove its validity using concrete details from the text.

Essay Topic 3

Popkey begins the text with an excerpt from a journal entry written by Sylvia Plath. Explain how this poem excerpt relates to the text and how it reflects the text’s themes.

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