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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 the word "lacuna" mean as used in Chapter 6?

2. What food item from her mother's play does the author describe her family eating all summer in Chapter 6?

3. Where does the author describe dreaming about being with her father two nights before he died in Chapter 5?

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

5. What was Helen Bechdel's maiden name?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What is alluded to in the title of Chapter 6, "The Ideal Husband"?

3. Describe the dream in the beginning of Chapter 5. What symbolism can be seen in the dream?

4. With whom did Alison Bechdel and her brothers go to stay for several days in Chapter 6? Why?

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

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

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

8. Why does the author say that her family witnessed lots of sunrises in 1974?

9. What is revealed of Bruce Bechdel's obituary in Chapter 5?

10. How does Bechdel describe the political atmosphere when she was 13 in Chapter 6?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the nonlinear structure of Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic. In what ways is the narrative nonlinear? Why do you think the author chose to relate her story in this format? How does the author build tension in a nonlinear narrative style?

Essay Topic 3

What major facts does the author establish in the beginning of the narrative? How does she establish the setting and relationships within her family? How are these important plot points revealed to the reader?

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