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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. Where did Carol work after the war?

2. Where is Milton located decades later by a private detective?

3. Who was Adele's ice skating instructor?

4. Why is Adele shocked by her new job?

5. Ann had lived with her grandmother until the age of ______________.

Short Essay Questions

1. How does the author use foreshadowing regarding Ann's discomfort over sharing a bed with her mother?

2. Describe Ann's relationship with her mother.

3. Who is Lillian and what is her relationship with her aunts?

4. How do Lillian and Art start out their married life?

5. Describe Adele's disappointing life with her first husband, Hisham.

6. Who is Art and how does Lillian's relationship with him negatively impact her life?

7. What does California symbolize to Adele?

8. How did Lillian's mother show inappropriate behavior toward Lillian's brother, Milton?

9. What does Adele reveal about herself when she refuses to stay at the job in Watts?

10. Explain how Adele has delusions of grandeur, particularly regarding Lonnie Tishman.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Simpson is a master at dramatic devices. Choose an example of symbolism, metaphors, and irony, briefly describe them and identify the technique which they embody.

Essay Topic 2

Mental cruelty seems to be almost an unnamed character in the book. How pervasive is the sense of psychological abuse? Why does it have such a prevalent place in Ann's life because of her mother? Explain how an inanimate object or characteristic can be a character.

Essay Topic 3

Compare and contrast Carol and Adele. Both women want influence over Lillian but have their hold on her in very different ways. Why are their differences classic examples of conflict in drama? What other similarities and dissimilarities are there between the two characters?

(see the answer keys)

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