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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. Malcolm has always loved which objects, ever since he was a little boy?

2. Jude's very first home was in what type of location?

3. Willem is born how many years after his brother Hemming's birth?

4. To what career does Malcolm aspire in college?

5. What strategy does Willem adopt during Jude's episodes of extreme pain?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

4. How does Yanigihara want the reader to view Jude's decision to keep his past a secret and how do you know?

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

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

7. Discuss a quality that Jude has in common with either Malcolm or JB.

8. What do the coupons in the novel symbolize?

9. Discuss a time when Yanigihara uses a metaphor to represent some aspect of friendship.

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Analyze the ways in which the themes of adaptability and resignation appear within Yanagihara’s novel A Little Life. What message is Yanagihara sending about these two themes over the course of the narrative?

Essay Topic 2

How does the motif of dreams appear within A Little Life and how does its treatment relate to the novel's depicted messages?

Essay Topic 3

What message does Yanagihara send within the pages of A Little Life concerning the link between guilt and responsibility?

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