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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. In Shannon's opinion, what are Shannon, Brandy, and Evie all competing for?

2. How is Shane's face disfigured?

3. How does Shannon describe her behavior throughout the accident and hospital stay?

4. How does Brandy introduce herself at the open house?

5. What aspect of Shannon's life is Brandy constantly changing?

Short Essay Questions

1. What article of clothing does Brandy suggest Shannon wear?

2. What subject is Evie most interested in during the pretend dramas she enacts with Shannon at the department store?

3. What is Shannon's father's strategy for selling his pigs at market?

4. Why does Brandy introduce Shannon to veils?

5. Why does Manus have pornography magazines around his apartment?

6. What story does Brandy tell the border policemen to try to get them back into the USA?

7. Why does Evie live in a mansion in the suburbs?

8. What does the narrator warn the reader about the novel's structure?

9. Why does Brandy make Rona Barrett her new Supreme Being?

10. When the realtor talks about Canadian currency, why does it give the group pause?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

According to Brandy, Shannon is not responsible for the way she acts. We are all products of products of products, and have no real choice in whom we become. How is this idea reflected in the novel? Has Brandy broken out of this cycle or does she consider herself a part of it? How has Shannon attempted to break outside of herself? By the end of the novel, has she accomplished her goals? Why or why not? Be sure to include textual evidence in your argument.

Essay Topic 2

Do a character study of Evie Cottrell. What role does she play in the novel? How does her relationships with the other characters further the plot? How does her character contribute to the central themes of the novel? Is she a static character or does she undergo changes throughout the text? Explore Evie's idea of beautiful people together being less than the sum of their parts. How does this idea contribute to the novel? Is Shannon changed by this theory? Be sure to use examples from the text in your arguments.

Essay Topic 3

The author makes use of juxtapositions in the text. Examine the photo shoots that Shannon recounts. How is juxtaposition used? What are the locations of the shoots? What do the models have to wear? What other literary elements can be detected in these scenes? How does the author's use of description contribute to the overall effect?

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This section contains 700 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample