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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. As she leaves Dr. Ahmad's office, Plum thinks to herself that she will look like which monster after all of her surgeries?

2. What implement does Dr. Ahmad use while he is planning Plum's various surgeries?

3. What connection does Plum say she shares with Julia and with none of the other women associated with The Calliope House?

4. What aspect of cooking does Plum love the most?

5. How did Sana sustain her facial scarring?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the significance of Plum's response to the little girl on the bus who tells her mother to "look at that big lady" (233)?

2. What does Plum mean when she says, "After years of not fighting back, I was coiled like a snake" (233)?

3. To what television show is Plum alluding when she enters Victoria Secret and knows that she is "raising eyebrows" (234)?

4. What action of Leeta's does Plum point to as proof that she should be loyal to Leeta, no matter what she has done?

5. Discuss Plum's comments about her ability to be "like the lilac negligee woman" (234) from the lingerie ads or like Leeta.

6. How does the theme of misplaced female envy come into play within the author's depiction of Plum's dream about being skinny?

7. What is the author's purpose for including the reporter Cheryl Crane-Murphy's remark, "As a committed Christian, it pains me to admit that I feel nothing but glee at the death of these pigs" (155)?

8. Describe "the Jennifer effect" (231) and its implications.

9. Who does Plum call when Verena tells Plum to call anyone who will notice she is missing once she moves into The Calliope House? What do her choices reveal about her life prior to connecting with the women of The Calliope House?

10. In what way is Plum already familiar with Marlowe before she meets her at Cafe Rose?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How do the themes of fellowship and collaboration function within the novel and what is the author's message regarding these themes?

Essay Topic 2

Analyze Plum's feelings about finally letting go of Alicia and all that she represents. What message is the author sending about change and about one other theme of your choice?

Essay Topic 3

How is the topic of discovery treated within the novel and how does its treatment relate to the book's repeated allusions to Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland?

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