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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. Where did Bruce Bechdel go to see a psychiatrist in Chapter 6?

2. What author does Bechdel recall reading regarding her obsessive-compulsive disorder when she was a child?

3. How frequently do locusts appear and swarm?

4. What is the title of Chapter 5?

5. What was Helen Bechdel's maiden name?

Short Essay Questions

1. How did the author feel about rehearsing lines with her mother in Chapter 6?

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

3. What does Bechdel write regarding the trial of Oscar Wilde in Chapter 6?

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

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

6. What is the significance of the locusts that the author describes in Chapter 6?

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

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

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

Describe and discuss the characterization of the author's mother, Helen Bechdel in the memoir. How would you describe the relationship between Alison and Helen Bechdel? What did Helen Bechdel study and how does the author describe her mother's talents?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the author's allusions to F. Scott Fitzgerald in Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic. What correlations does Bechdel make between Fitzgerald and her father? What characters from Fitzgerald does the author associate with Bruce Bechdel? Why?

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