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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. According to Calvin, what photo of Alice appears on the cover of the program at her memorial service?

2. In chapter three, who writes the article that accompanies the fashion spread in which Alice is featured?

3. What is Alice's reasoning for agreeing to be photographed in a fashion issue of a magazine?

4. According to Calvin, which of the following best describes Alice at age fifty?

5. According to Calvin, what is Alice wearing when he sees her for the first time?

Short Essay Questions

1. In chapter three, Calvin Trillin explains that Alice's role as caretaker to her parents has a positive impact on her life. How?

2. In chapter two, Calvin Trillin draws a parallel in the relationship between the novelist Dick Francis and his late wife Mary and Trillin's own marriage to Alice. Explain.

3. What are some of the adversities Alice faces throughout her life?

4. Calvin Trillin states that from the day he meets Alice, he never stops trying to impress her. Why?

5. In chapter three, why does Alice accept the request to be photographed in a fashion issue of a magazine?

6. According to Calvin Trillin, Alice's beauty gives her some advantages. Explain.

7. What event causes Alice to feel as though she loses her looks?

8. In what ways is Alice's beauty a hardship?

9. When Calvin Trillin describes the first time he sees Alice in chapter two, what does he say is the first thing that strikes him about her? Is it simply her attractiveness, or something else?

10. In chapter one, Calvin Trillin states that the stories he writes about his family can be compared what kinds of television shows?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write the following essay from the first person point of view of Alice Trillin.

Part 1) Discuss your views on social activism.

Part 2) Why do you care so much about certain causes? Give a list of the ones that mean the most to you, and how you go about pursuing these causes.

Part 3) What do you hope to instill in your daughters through your social activism?

Part 4) What is wrong about being passive?

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay on any one of the following aspects of Alice's beauty.

Part 1) Discuss the power and influence of Alice's beauty. How does it affect others? What opportunities does it afford her? What challenges does it bring?

Part 2) Alice is an outspoken, politically active woman who is a young woman during the time of the Feminism movement in the United States. Do you think that Alice's beauty and concern for her appearance make her unique in that context? If so, in what ways?

Cite examples from the book in your response.

Essay Topic 3

Do you agree with Trillin's definition of an intellectual in About Alice? Why or why not?

Part 1) According to Trillin, in what ways is Alice an intellectual?

Part 2) Does Trillin believe he is intellectually superior to Alice? Why or why not?

Include specific references to the book to support your essay.

(see the answer keys)

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