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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 decade of life are Malcolm, JB, and Willem when Chapter 1 of Part IV: The Axiom of Equality begins?

2. What explanation for his own impotence does Jude give to Willem?

3. With whom is Jude having dinner when Caleb unexpectedly enters the restaurant?

4. Chapter 2 of Part III: Vanities begins on whose birthday?

5. How does Willem react when he hears that Jude has attempted suicide?

Short Essay Questions

1. How is foreshadowing used within Harold's discussion of Jude's skills as a lawyer?

2. In what way does Willem depend on Jude?

3. For what reason does Jude's suicide attempt fail?

4. How old is Jude the final time he walks completely unassisted?

5. What happens to nullify Jude's chosen method of coping with the trauma inflicted by Caleb?

6. Which voice does Jude usually ignore but decide to listen to in relation to Caleb?

7. What is the sole source of Willem's envy of Jude?

8. What objects solidify Jude and Willem's romantic relationship in the eyes of their friends?

9. To what historical event does the part title Vanities allude?

10. What is ironic about the mistaken identity of the person Jude hallucinates is trying to hurt him?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Explicate the theme of secrecy within A Little Life. What is Yanagihara’s message regarding secrecy and how do you know?

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

How are the topics of romantic relationships, love, and sex treated within the novel A Little Life and how does their treatment relate to the novel's depicted messages?

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