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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. How many months before the opening of Chapter 1 of Part III: Vanities did Jude start having to use his wheelchair again?

2. In what area of New York state is Lantern House located?

3. What eventually happened to Dr. Traylor?

4. Who feels jealous of Willem for his fame as an actor?

5. In what direction did Jude travel when he left the group home?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. Characterize Willem's passion for acting.

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

4. How did Jude come to leave the group home in Montana?

5. Who is Dr. Traylor?

6. How had Brother Luke treated Jude differently than any of the other priests at the monastery had?

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

8. What methods does Jude use in order to hide the signs that he is being abused?

9. What major turning point in the novel occurs within Part V: The Happy Years, in relation to Jude and Willem?

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

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 the instances of irony within the narrative of A Little Life and analyze Yanagihara’s purpose for including each instance you discuss.

Essay Topic 3

Discuss Yanagihara’s use of metaphor, simile, imagery, and other literary devices as a means to send particular thematic messages within the narrative of A Little Life.

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