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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. How many liters of vodka does Eleanor purchase at the corner shop?

2. What exercise does Maria have Eleanor try at the end of her first therapy session?

3. At Sammy’s funeral, what does Eleanor wonder if he might be wearing?

4. What emotion does Eleanor feel about her juvenile crush on the musician?

5. What movie does Eleanor’s mother say the residents elected to watch for movie night?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Eleanor tell Maria that she fears most?

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

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

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

5. How does Eleanor first react to her therapist, Maria Temple, and does her reaction change?

6. What happens the day of the musician’s big show that leads Eleanor to believe it was a bad omen and why?

7. Why do the flowers on Eleanor’s work desk mean so much to her?

8. Why does Maria tell Eleanor to forgive herself?

9. Why did Raymond come looking for Eleanor, at her apartment?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay exploring how Eleanor’s relationship with her mother changes throughout the novel.

Essay Topic 2

Eleanor is a survivor. Analyze how the author uses the character of Eleanor to develop the theme of survival.

Essay Topic 3

In therapy, Eleanor learns that all children (and people) have emotional needs. Analyze what specific emotional needs Eleanor did not have met by her mother and describe the various ways Eleanor tried to cover those innate emotional needs.

(see the answer keys)

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