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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 do Big Swiss and Greta kiss for the first time?

2. Who lets Greta borrow a dress before she meets Flavia at the bar?

3. What is Om’s real name?

4. What is the name of Sabine’s father?

5. Who attacks Greta's dog at the dog park?

Short Essay Questions

1. What causes Greta’s window to break?

2. Why does Sabine want to buy two mini donkeys instead of just one?

3. Why does Greta think Sabine is hiding something from her?

4. How did Greta experience a “second childhood”?

5. What things is Greta afraid of?

6. How did Greta react to the death of her boss, Hopper?

7. What was "Authentic Movement" in Flavia's childhood?

8. How did Robin and Greta meet?

9. Why did Greta leave Stacy?

10. According to Flavia, what was her role on the schoolyard?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Locations play a significant role in Big Swiss. Prominent settings in the book include Om's office, the dog park, Cousin's, and Sabine's home. Choose one of these settings to analyze. What is the role of this location in the text? What details help make this location significant?

Essay Topic 2

The relationship between Greta and her mother was a complicated one. Describe the emotions Greta feels regarding her mother. What do you make of Greta's diagnosis of emotional detachment? Is Greta conflicted about her mother's death? Why or why not? Analyze the way this relationship impacts her interactions with other characters.

Essay Topic 3

Some reviews of Big Swiss describe the book as funny or darkly comedic. Analyze Jen Beagin's use of humor in this novel. Do you think it works well? Why do you think Beagin uses comedy in this way? Would the novel have worked well without this humor?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 664 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample