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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. Abby abandons Parker on their date while they are doing what in Chapter 19?

2. Abby says in Chapter 11, “One of the reasons I had chosen Eastern U was for its” what?

3. How much money does Abby need to win gambling in order to save her father in Chapter 15?

4. Who calls Travis as he and Abby are going to bed in Chapter 12?

5. How many empty beer bottles are sitting by Abby by the time that America and Shepley join her in the kitchen at the party in Chapter 20?

Short Essay Questions

1. What conversations does Abby have with Parker and Travis in the beginning of Chapter 17?

2. What is Abby’s outlook in the beginning of Chapter 18? When does the chapter begin?

3. What conflict arises surrounding Abby during the fight that Travis is engaged in, in Chapter 19?

4. How is Abby’s “date” with Parker described in Chapter 19?

5. What news of Abby’s father does America relate to her in Chapter 14?

6. What is the outcome of the fight in Chapter 16? What offer has Travis received?

7. What conversation takes place between Travis’s father and Abby while she’s visiting for Thanksgiving in Chapter 17?

8. What is Abby’s response to the offer that Travis receives in Chapter 16?

9. What purchases does Abby discover that Travis has made in the beginning of Chapter 13?

10. Who is Jesse, and what is Abby’s response when she encounters him in Chapter 15?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the theme of jealousy in the novel. How does Travis express his jealousy over Parker in Chapter 5? How does Abby respond to Travis’s conquests with the women at the college? How does the issue of jealousy become resolved in the narrative?

Essay Topic 2

Sexuality in Beautiful Disaster

a. Discuss the differences and similarities between male and female sexuality in the novel. How does Travis view women? Do his views change in the course of the novel?

b. How are the characters of Abby and America similar? How do they differ? Are their views on sexuality similar or different?

Essay Topic 3

Plot Structure

a. Discuss the plot structure of Beautiful Disaster. In what ways is the narrative related and what effect does this have on the reader?

b. How does Beautiful Disaster compare with other novels in the contemporary young adult romance genre? Are there specific stylistic elements that can be seen in McGuire’s writing?

(see the answer keys)

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