View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

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

2. What does the word "lacuna" mean as used in Chapter 6?

3. How many residents does the author describe in her hometown in Chapter 5?

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

5. Who wrote the play The American Dream that the author's mother is seen reading in a panel in Chapter 5?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is described in the police report that the author illustrates in Chapter 6?

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

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

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

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

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

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

8. What does the author describe her mother discovering on an audio tape in Chapter 5?

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe and discuss the dream imagery that Bechdel presents in Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic. How would you describe the images of these dream sequences? What similes, metaphors, and other literary devices are employed in the dream imagery?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the theme of appearances versus reality in Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic. What are examples of symbolism, imagery, characterization, and setting that support this theme? How does the author feel about false appearances?

Essay Topic 3

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?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 878 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample