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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. After closing one of its branches, the Hazelden does continue to run an outpatient program in what location?

2. After begging his father to be put into another rehab program just after his near-fatal overdose, Nic takes what action?

3. When the woman at Al-Anon tells a story about considering suicide but deciding against it, what event befalls her directly afterwards?

4. In what type of residence does Nic live while he is attending Hampshire College?

5. According to David, approximately what fraction of all first marriages end in divorce?

Short Essay Questions

1. For what purpose does Sheff use the allusion to the film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind?

2. What major medical emergency befalls David Sheff just before Nic's eighteenth birthday?

3. Whom does Sheff list as people and organizations he at times blames for Nic's problems, before returning to the idea that Nic has a disease that causes his bad behavior?

4. How much more likely are addicts to have underlying mental health issues, in relation to the general population?

5. What observation does Nic make about the Haight-Ashbury district in San Francisco?

6. Discuss Sheff's use of the broken suitcase image to indicate the injured nature of his post-hemorrhage brain.

7. How late is Nic when he sets a lunch date with his father at the restaurant Steps of Rome?

8. What does David describe as his usual routine when Nic goes missing?

9. Discuss Sheff's use of medical diction in order to depict the theme of family bonds.

10. What is the symbolism of Nic's note to Jasper?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the connection Sheff draws between his own experiences as the father of an addict and the state of the opioid crisis plaguing twenty-first century America.

Essay Topic 2

How is the theme of deception portrayed in David Sheff’s memoir? Examine the author's treatment of and messages regarding deception throughout the work.

Essay Topic 3

How does David Sheff’s memoir Beautiful Boy utilize irony within the text? Discuss at least three uses of irony within the memoir and explore each instance's connection to larger themes contained within the piece.

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