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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 Bodie's mother move after she attended residental treatment?

2. What job did Bodie's mother actually have?

3. When were girls allowed to attend Granby?

4. What religion did Bodie and her mother convert to?

5. Who does Bodie think Dane is jealous of?

Short Essay Questions

1. What did Bodie find out about Robbie when she searched for him online?

2. How did the beginning of Bodie's relationship with Jerome differ from the start of her relationship with Yahav?

3. How does Bodie figure out that Thalia left a cryptic message for Mr. Bloch in the yearbook?

4. How does Bodie's lfie change when she moves to Granby?

5. Why did investigators start to believe that Thalia may have been using drugs?

6. How does Bodie show that she believed people would like her for being average?

7. Describe the video the narrator watches in Chapter 1.

8. When she was in high school, how did Bodie differentiate between Granby and Indiana?

9. What was the prosecution's theory surrounding Thalia's death, and why did Bodie think it was ridiculous?

10. What was Bodie's relationship with the Robesons like when she lived with them?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What is the significance of Rebecca Makkai's references to real-life figures, such as Rita Hayworth? What do these references add to the narrative? Choose three references to real people or circumstances to analyze.

Essay Topic 2

At several points in the novel, Bodie addresses Denny Bloch, using the word "you." For example, one chapter ends with the accusation, “If Thalia was having trouble with an older guy, the older guy was you” (95). What do you make of this technique? Why do you think Makkai chose to do this?

Essay Topic 3

In Chapter 30, Bodie says, “It’s human instinct to put yourself at the heart of a disaster. Not even for attention, but because it feels true" (162). What does this mean? Discuss at least two examples from the text and use textual evidence to support your opinion.

(see the answer keys)

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