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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. To what type of company event does Jude invite Willem at the end of Chapter V: The Happy Years?

2. Chapter 2 of Part III: Vanities reveals that Jude has made what career change?

3. Before the event at the end of Part V: The Happy Years, Jude had invited Willem to how many events held by Jude's law firm?

4. Who is Kit?

5. Who renovates Jude's apartment to make it more accessible for him?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. Harold reveals that he had first learned about Jude's rituals of self-harm in what manner?

3. In what way does Willem depend on Jude?

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

5. What warning does Jude give to Willem regarding sex?

6. In what way does Jude liken Caleb to Brother Luke?

7. How does Harold find out that Caleb has been physically abusing Jude?

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

9. What is Willem's agent's reaction to his decision to stay in New York after Jude's suicide attempt?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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.

Essay Topic 2

Discuss Yanagihara's choice to tell the story of A Little Life using a third person omniscient narrator. What elements of the novel's themes lend themselves to this choice and what are Yanagihara’s intended effects on the reader?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss Yanigihara’s reasons for including instances of foreshadowing within the novel and how the use of foreshadowing connects with the narrative’s themes and messages.

(see the answer keys)

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