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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. Plum says that the bariatric surgery will result in her stomach being the size of what object?

2. At what time of day does Plum say she usually "slips into despair" (12) each day?

3. Where does Plum keep her clothes that fit?

4. What word is written on the wadded up pieces of paper found within the throats of both Michael Simmons and Davis Green?

5. For what magazine had Leeta worked before being hired as Julia's assistant?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Janine's outburst at the Baptist Diet meeting foreshadow Plum's own coming changes?

2. What is the author's purpose for including the enormous list of lipstick colors within the narrative?

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

4. The night before the murders of Michael Simmons and Davis Green, Dr. Ormond Brown receives an email. What does the email contain and what is the author's implication about who has sent it?

5. What is the significance of Leeta's name?

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

7. What significant event happens in the spring of Plum's junior year of high school?

8. What allusion is being made within the line, "On top of a cabinet, a large orchid was trapped under a bell jar" (85) and what is the author's purpose for using it?

9. What is the significance of the news story about Jayson Fox, the young rap star from Los Angeles?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What is the function of Verena's character within the novel? Discuss the characterization methods used by the author in depicting Verena and include in your discussion the reasons that the author portrays her in these particular ways.

Essay Topic 2

Analyze the novel Dietland from an Existential perspective. What elements of life does it suggest hold the most meaning and why?

Essay Topic 3

Explicate the theme of indoctrination within the novel, particularly in relation to the novel's protagonist. What is the author's message regarding societal indoctrination and how do you know?

(see the answer keys)

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