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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 direction did Jude travel when he left the group home?

2. What is Harold's reaction to Jude's career change?

3. It is revealed in Chapter 3 of Part III: Vanities that which character has become a drug addict?

4. When Jude awoke from his slumber against a particular object, in what location did he find himself?

5. What aspect of Jude's legs begins to be truly troublesome in Chapter 1 of Part III: Vanities?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

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

5. How does the motif of dreams appear within Harold's characterization?

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

7. Who is Dr. Traylor?

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

9. Characterize Willem's passion for acting.

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

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.

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)

This section contains 1,211 words (approx. 5 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample