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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Who first decides to try and help Lisa Shilling?
(a) Betsy Goodman.
(b) Mary Nell Fickett.
(c) Elizabeth Frazer.
(d) Tracy Shilling.

2. Mary Nell Fickett and Betsy Goodman initially turn to what source of information to research mental illness?
(a) The dictionary.
(b) The1959 edition of Encyclopedia Britannica.
(c) Various Internet sites.
(d) Principles of Abnormal Psychology by Maslow and Mittelmann.

3. The first person that Mary Nell Fickett confided in about Lisa Shilling's possible mental illness was...
(a) Betsy Goodman.
(b) Mrs. Shilling.
(c) Elizabeth Frazer.
(d) Neil Donovan.

4. Mr. Bernstein refuses to talk to Mr. Shilling about Lisa Shilling's mental condition because...
(a) He is afraid of the social ramifications.
(b) He doesn't think it's his place.
(c) He doesn't think Lisa has a problem.
(d) He thinks Mr. Shilling will hit him.

5. The first story that Betsy Goodman heard about Lisa Shilling's strange behavior happened on...
(a) Paul Newman's newest film's opening night.
(b) The first anniversary of Lisa and Brian Morris' going steady.
(c) Mary Nell Fickett's birthday.
(d) Ben Goodman's graduation.

Short Answer Questions

1. Which major character says "'You're right about Lisa. You can't even begin to imagine how sick she is. But if you're going to sign up here, you have to expect a lot of rough play'" (p. 58)?

2. Lisa Shilling's conversation with her parents opens the novel. What does Lisa tell her parents during this conversation?

3. What sport does Brian Morris play?

4. What aspect of Betsy Goodman's appearance is "three thousand dollars' perfect" (p. 12)?

5. Where do Betsy Goodman, Mary Nell Fickett, and Lisa Shilling first meet for an impromptu group therapy session?

Short Essay Questions

1. What kind of a job does Mr. Goodman do as an insurance salesman?

2. Why does Lisa Shilling tell her parents that she thinks she is mentally ill in front of her friend Mary Nell Fickett?

3. Why does the narrator spend so much time establishing which protagonist is better looking, which is more intelligent, and which is from a wealthier family?

4. Describe the family situation of the four main characters.

5. In what is Mr. Shilling primarily interested?

6. Describe the nature of the relationship between Brian Morris and Lisa Shilling in the early part of the novel.

7. Why is Betsy Goodman the youngest of the major protagonists?

8. What aspect of Mary Nell Fickett's personality is demonstrated by her voluminous reading of psychology textbooks?

9. Mental illness aside, how typical are the four main protagonists of the novel?

10. Who is the narrator in chapter one?

(see the answer keys)

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