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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 television show does the author describe as "the dumbest T.V. show in the world. Next to the Brady Bunch" in Chapter 6?

2. How old was Mark Douglas Walsh when Bruce Bechdel allegedly seduced him?

3. What had Bruce Bechdel been recording on the tape that the author's mother discovered after his death in Chapter 5?

4. The title of Chapter 6, "The Ideal Husband" is an allusion to the play "An Ideal Husband" written by whom?

5. On what day does the author describe her father's hearing in Chapter 6?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does the author go into depth regarding the geography of her hometown in Chapter 5?

2. How does the author describe her first foray into poetry in Chapter 5?

3. How did the author respond when she began menstruating in Chapter 6?

4. How does Bechdel describe her mother's talents in Chapter 5?

5. Why did Bruce Bechdel tell his daughter he was going to Danville in Chapter 6?

6. What symbolism can be seen in the fallen trees in Chapter 6?

7. What play does the author describe her mother in rehearsals for in Chapter 6? Why is this significant?

8. When did Alison Bechdel's obsessive-compulsive tendencies begin to appear? What did they entail?

9. What impacts of her parents' "creative solitude" does the author describe in Chapter 5?

10. What does the title of Chapter 5, "The Canary-Colored Caravan of Death" allude to?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the themes of shame and tragedy in Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic. What are the tragic elements of the narrative? How is shame symbolized in the memoir? Would you say that the ending of the book is tragic? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the political and historical allusions in Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic. How does the author describe the political atmosphere in America during her childhood and adolescence? What major historical events took place at this time? How did they shape the author's life and outlook?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the theme of family in Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic. How would you describe the author's relationships within her family? Was/is the Bechdel family affectionate? How did Alison Bechdel's family influence her?

(see the answer keys)

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