View a FREE sample

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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Which character is described by the narrator as a "quiet, distinguished-looking man about sixty who has real style...[he] can talk with you and make you feel instantly at home" (p. 30)?
(a) Mr. Bernstein.
(b) Mr. Shilling.
(c) Mr. Frazer.
(d) Rev. Fickett.

2. Lisa Shilling spends her six-week vacation in Florida doing what?
(a) Babysitting her older sister's two children.
(b) Staring at the ocean.
(c) Goofing off at Disneyworld.
(d) Canoeing through the Everglades.

3. In the novel's title "Lisa, Bright and Dark", to what does the term "Bright" refer?
(a) Lisa's obsession with the sun.
(b) Lisa's periods of relative normalcy.
(c) Lisa's use of an English accent when talking.
(d) Lisa's periods of mental illness.

4. Which character is the youngest major character of the novel?
(a) Lisa Shilling.
(b) Elizabeth Frazer.
(c) Betsy Goodman.
(d) Mary Nell Fickett.

5. The narrator describes which major character as fulfilling the role of school princess (that is, regal, cool, far off, blonde, and slim)?
(a) Elizabeth Frazer.
(b) Mary Nell Fickett.
(c) Betsy Goodman.
(d) Lisa Shilling.

Short Answer Questions

1. Mr. Bernstein refuses to talk to Mr. Shilling about Lisa Shilling's mental condition because...

2. Betsy Goodman says her father calls "choosing what you want to hear and concentrating only on that" (p. 18) by the phrase...

3. According to the narrator, who "counts less" (p. 12) than anyone else in the novel?

4. When Lisa Shilling first tells her father that she thinks she might be going crazy, he tells her...

5. The novel is set in what U.S. State?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. 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?

3. Who is the narrator in chapter one?

4. Describe Mary Nell Fickett's and Besty Goodman's initial attempts to secure professional help for their friend Lisa Shilling.

5. Describe Lisa on a so-called bright day and contrast that description to Lisa on a so-called dark day.

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

7. Why is chapter one presented in italic type face?

8. Why does Lisa Shilling feel more comfortable with her new friend Betsy Goodman than with her older friend Mary Nell Fickett?

9. Based on the various descriptions of the four main protagonists' families, do you believe they would all go to the same public high school?

10. What kind of a job does Rev. Fickett do as a church reverend?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,193 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample