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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. Why are kids at school teasing Dorie?

2. How does Nancy feel about her school in Phoenix?

3. Where do Nancy and her dad go on New Year's Day?

4. What color is the pantsuit Nancy gets for her 16th birthday?

5. Who cleans Nancy and her mom's house?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why has Nancy not written in her diary in three weeks?

2. Why is Nancy's HIV progressing faster than most cases?

3. What problem does Dorie face that Nancy writes about in January?

4. What is Nancy's job at Liz's office?

5. What does Nancy think the difference between having sex with Collin and having sex with Lew will be?

6. Why is Nancy "living in Heaven" at the beginning of February?

7. What does Mrs. Maggleby, the school nurse, do at the beginning of April?

8. What did Nancy and her dad do on New Year's Day?

9. What is Doodle Day at Nancy's school?

10. Why are holidays sadder than regular days for Nancy?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

An underlying theme throughout the story is the idea of death and finality. When Nancy is diagnosed with HIV/AIDS, she is aware she will die of the disease. As she struggles with the idea that she will die young, other characters in the story must also cope with the finality of death. Write a response focusing on the idea of death and finality as presented in the story. How do the characters cope with this idea? Use specific references to the text in the response.

Essay Topic 2

Much of what occurs in It Happened to Nancy centers around the consequences of having sex. Write a response focusing on the theme of sex as portrayed in the story. Is sex positive or negative? What consequences are there? How do the characters deal with the consequences dealt to them? Use specific references to the text in the response.

Essay Topic 3

There are many symbols throughout the story - from the Idaho ranch to the jewelry she and Lew exchange and her diary. Write a response highlighting at least three symbols present in the book. Discuss what the symbols represent and how they are important to the story. Use specific references to the text in the response.

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This section contains 670 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample