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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 is wrong with Grace Smeath's mother?

2. What part of the narrator's body is bloodied?

3. Why does Elaine lie about the number of Valentines she got?

4. What does Elaine buy for the art exhibit?

5. What does Elaine's mother tell her to do?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is Elaine's opinion of Susie, in her art class?

2. How does Elaine try to frighten Cordelia in tenth grade?

3. How are the paintings at the gallery organized when Elaine arrives at the art retrospective?

4. What was Elaine's reaction to statues of the Virgin Mary she saw in churches?

5. What is Elaine's attitude about sleeping with her ex-husband, Jon?

6. Throughout the novel, who does Elaine think she sees in crowds or around town?

7. What do Elaine and Cordelia do at lunch time, when they first go to high school together?

8. What is Stephen worried about, when Elaine goes to high school?

9. What lie does Elaine tell to cover her suicide attempt, and why?

10. How does Elaine feel when she sees her old school doesn't exist anymore?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss criticism in the novel.

1) What does criticism of Elaine's art mean to her? How does she relate to the press and others that view and criticize her life and work as an artist?

2) What role does criticism play in Elaine's childhood relationship with Cordelia and her other friends? Where is the line between constructive criticism and abuse?

3) Why does Elaine become critical of others in high school? Why do Elaine and Cordelia spend their time criticizing others?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the portrayal of men in the book.

1) How are Elaine's lovers, Josef, Jon, and Ben, portrayed in the book? What is Elaine's attitude toward her lovers?

2) How do Elaine's relationships with men differ from her relationships with women? Why is Elaine more comfortable with men than with women?

3) How is Elaine's father portrayed in the book? How is her brother portrayed? How do her relationships with her father and brother affect her relationships with other men?

Essay Topic 3

The novel is full of imagery of sight, sound, and smell. Discuss the use of imagery in the book.

1) How does Elaine describe the city of Toronto? How do Elaine's descriptions reflect her feelings?

2) How does the imagery of Elaine's paintings relate to the novel and Elaine's life?

3) What imagery is associated with different periods in Elaine's life?

4) Discuss the imagery of blood in the novel. What does the blood from Elaine's self-mutilation symbolize? What about the blood of miscarriages, suicides, and the botched abortion?

(see the answer keys)

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