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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 does Eleanor name her cat?

2. How long had Eleanor been out on her medical leave?

3. When Eleanor is lonely, for what does she physically ache?

4. Where does the family gather after Sammy’s funeral?

5. What does Maria tell Eleanor she must do, after hearing the truth about the fire?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who is Marianne?

2. What does Eleanor remember about Marianne, while she is talking with Raymond in the cafe?

3. What does Eleanor say to Maria in a moment of anger?

4. What does Raymond do for Eleanor, after her alcohol binge, that is so kind?

5. Why does Maria tell Eleanor to forgive herself?

6. Why does Maria tell Eleanor that anger is good?

7. Why does Eleanor tell Raymond she is a survivor and why is this signficant?

8. In what ways does Eleanor seem like a stronger person by the end of the novel?

9. What does Eleanor say about social interaction, while she is shopping in the department store?

10. How does Eleanor react when she wears her new outfit to work and gets attention from her co-workers?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe the voice of Eleanor’s mother. Use specific adjectives and examples from the text and analyze whether this is a positive or negative voice.

Essay Topic 2

Healing from mental illness is at the heart of this novel. Analyze how the author develops and strengthens the theme of healing through the plot and characters.

Essay Topic 3

Eleanor is convinced that she will be fixed once she get’s the musician to fall in love with her. What course of events shatter her disillusionment? How is her failed crush the catalyst for her healing?

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