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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. Whose father had grown up poor in Queens?

2. In what state was the group home where Jude lived for a time?

3. During the summer after Willem's brother's death, Willem works at what type of establishment?

4. In what season was Jude found, according to the priests?

5. What behavior did Jude begin to exhibit after he began to be sexually molested by a priest from whom he had stolen a lighter?

Short Essay Questions

1. In what way are the themes of secrecy and control depicted in Part II: The Postman?

2. How does the theme of courage intertwine with the theme of secrecy within Jude's character?

3. How does the theme of regret appear within A Little Life?

4. Characterize Willem's relationship with his parents prior to their deaths.

5. In what way does the narration of Part I: Lispenard Street differ from the narration of Part II: The Postman?

6. Discuss the socioeconomic gaps present among the group of four friends: Malcolm, JB, Willem, and Jude.

7. What happens to necessitate the use of the fire escape?

8. Who is JB and how does he enter the story?

9. Characterize the priests' attitudes about Jude's pursuit of knowledge about his own past.

10. What do the coupons in the novel symbolize?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Look carefully at the passages of A Little Life that describe the close relationship between Willem and Jude. What is Yanagihara’s purpose for discussing at length the nature of the connection between Jude and Willem?

Essay Topic 2

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 Human versus Self is demonstrated within Yanagihara’s novel A Little Life. Create a decisive, arguable claim and prove it with quotes from the novel.

Essay Topic 3

Analyze the interplay between the resolution of A Little Life and one of the novel's main messages. How does Yanagihara make connections between these elements and how does their juxtaposition help them get across one main message of the novel?

(see the answer keys)

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