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. The school guidance counselor's name is...
(a) Paul Newman.
(b) Elizabeth Frazer.
(c) Jeremy Bernstein.
(d) Brian Morris.

2. The narrator compares her newly-built school to her old school and notes that both schools have the same...
(a) Type of indirect lighting.
(b) Style of lockers.
(c) Tuna fish sandwiches every Friday.
(d) Color of blackboards.

3. Just after Brian Morris breaks up with her, Lisa Shilling begins to befriend which major character?
(a) Elizabeth Frazer.
(b) Mary Nell Fickett.
(c) Betsy Goodman.
(d) Neil Donovan.

4. The narrator states that Mr. Shilling's primary motivation is...
(a) Money.
(b) Power.
(c) Fashion.
(d) Knowledge.

5. The novel is set in what U.S. State?
(a) New York.
(b) Georgia.
(c) Connecticut.
(d) New Jersey.

Short Answer Questions

1. In the novel's title "Lisa, Bright and Dark", to what does the term "Dark" refer?

2. Why does Brian Morris break up his relationship with Lisa Shilling?

3. After Lisa Shilling's self-mutilation episode at school, her parents performed what action?

4. The narrator describes which major character as fulfilling the role of school princess (that is, regal, cool, far off, blonde, and slim)?

5. What is the profession of Betsy Goodman's father ?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. In what is Mr. Shilling primarily interested?

3. Why does Lisa Shilling believe that she is suffering form mental illness?

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

5. Why do Mr. and Mrs. Shilling ignore their daughter's repeated assertions that she is mentally ill?

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

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

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

9. Why does Elizabeth Frazer gradually become the de facto decision-maker of what is and is not good for Lisa Shilling?

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

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 967 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample