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

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

3. With what type of event do Harold, Julia, Jude, and their friends celebrate Judes' adoption?

4. What regular activity does Jude undertake in order to exercise his legs and back?

5. Upon the opening of the novel, Jude has just graduated from what kind of school?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. Who is Felix and what is significant about his emotional breakdown?

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

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

5. What two elements of Willem's life in Wyoming does he miss?

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

7. What impetus prompts Malcolm to come out to his parents?

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

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

10. What does Willem say in the opening scene when he is asked about his parents and why is it significant?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Trace the characterization arc of Jude’s character throughout the novel A Little Life. Discuss whether Jude is a round or flat character and whether Jude is a static or dynamic character.

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

Determine Yanagihara’s message within the novel A Little Life regarding the idea that euthanasia should be an option available for people who truly wish to end their lives.

(see the answer keys)

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