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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. What kind of art does Joan find at the art show?

2. What does Joan believe will happen if she goes to the secluded house?

3. After her landlord tells Joan about the stranger looking for her, what awakens Joan during the night?

4. Who moves in with Arthur and Joan?

5. What does Joan want to tell Arthur at the beginning of Chapter 27?

Short Essay Questions

1. What piece of evidence leads to Sam and Marlene's arrest?

2. Why does Joan feel she needs to disappear again?

3. How does Joan deal with her belief that she is being held captive?

4. What is Joan's reaction when she sees Royal Porcupine turned into Chuck Brewer?

5. Explain how Joan uses lies to allow herself a vacation to Italy.

6. At the end of Chapter 28, why does Joan feel she has to "get away, as quickly as possible?"

7. How does Joan's affair with Royal Porcupine affect her stability?

8. How does Joan take responsibility for her actions when she hears about Sam's arrest?

9. How does Joan let go of her past?

10. How does Joan react when she reads the newspaper clippings that Sam sends her?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Provide several examples of how humor is used in surprising ways to develop the plot of Lady Oracle. Is this an effective writing technique?

Essay Topic 2

Joan writes romance novels and prefers happy endings, but is dishonest and secretive in her own love life. Discuss how Joan's lies and secrets make positive, loving relationships impossible.

Essay Topic 3

Lady Oracle was published in 1976. How does Joan's life as a woman reflect the attitudes of that time? Compare her life as a wife to her life as a romance novelist. Which allows her to move beyond traditional roles? Do you think she is a character who is ahead of her time?

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