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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 excuse does Erica use to get Plum to come to the Austen Media offices?

2. Whose idea had it been to give Plum a copy of Adventures in Dietland?

3. What is NOT an item listed as dangerous to dieters within the Baptist Plan pamphlets Plum is given?

4. What is the only color of clothes Plum wears at the time of the novel's beginning?

5. When Verena asks Plum what would happen if she is already living her real life and will never lose weight, what is Plum's reply?

Short Essay Questions

1. Discuss the significance of Plum's clothing organization choices in the first part of the novel.

2. How does the author portray Eulayla Baptist's husband Allen as playing a major role in her torturous weight loss plan?

3. What is ironic about Plum's reaction to her encounter with Janine at the Baptist Diet meeting?

4. What causes Julia to ask Plum if she will hand over the 50,000 plus email addresses of teenage girls who have written to Kitty?

5. How does the terrorist organization known as Jennifer claim responsibility for the murders of Michael Simmons and Davis Green?

6. What question does Julia ask when she writes to Plum under the guise of being a teenage fan of Kitty's and what is the result of her question?

7. What quality of The Calliope House does Verena say had made her choose it as the location for her feminist collective?

8. What act does Dr. Ormond Brown believe has precipitated the murders of Michael Simmons and Davis Green?

9. What is the identifying feature of Leeta's appearance?

10. What information does Julia reveal about Leeta during her first meeting with Plum?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the author's choice to tell the story of Dietland using the first-person point of view. What elements of the novel's themes lend themselves to this choice and what is the author's intended effect on the reader?

Essay Topic 2

Trace the characterization arc of Plum’s character throughout the novel. Discuss whether she is a round or flat character and whether she is a static or dynamic character.

Essay Topic 3

Determine the author's message regarding violent vigilanteism in pursuit of gender equality. If she does not approve, prove it with evidence from the text and discuss the actions she presents as alternatives. If she does approve, prove it with evidence from the text and discuss the justification she provides for such an extreme position.

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