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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. What did Carol's older son do after flunking out of college?

2. Who was Adele's ice skating instructor?

3. Why was Lillian unable to go to college?

4. What color dress did Lillian get married in?

5. The father of the girl in #37 ultimately got a job ___________________.

Short Essay Questions

1. How is Hal a disappointment to Carol and Jimmy?

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

3. How does Adele pay for the trip to California?

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

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

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

7. What does Carol believe is the basis of some of Adele's outlandish behavior?

8. What does California symbolize to Adele?

9. How are the Swans' lives comparable to Adele and Ann's life, even though the Swans live in an expensive home in an exclusive are of Los Angeles?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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?

Essay Topic 2

What are the overall settings for the novel? Be sure to include geography, time period and any pertinent popular culture events. Why did Simpson choose to use these places in the novel?

Essay Topic 3

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.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,118 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample