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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. After Lisa Shilling walks through a floor-to-ceiling window and is taken to the hospital, Mr. Goodman, Betsy Goodman, Mary Nell Fickett, and Elizabeth Frazer all attempt to convince Mrs. Shilling that Lisa's actions were a cry for help. How does Mrs. Shilling respond?
(a) She thinks Lisa was pushed by Betsy.
(b) She thinks Betsy has tried to harm Lisa.
(c) She believes them.
(d) She tells the girls they are making it all up.

2. What does Betsy call her affected smile that starts at the left corner of her mouth and then spreads slowly across her whole face?
(a) The Joanna Woodward Special.
(b) The Paul Newman Catcher.
(c) Gelontology.
(d) The Duchenne Smile.

3. As Lisa Shilling's mental condition continues to deteriorate, what are some of the things she does that are disconcerting to Betsy Goodman?
(a) She frequently hides insects in her pockets and throws them at people as they walk away from her.
(b) She screams at anyone that touches her and plucks out her eyebrows.
(c) She routinely cuts herself with any available sharp object and often slams her head into school lockers.
(d) She cries in class, is always late, vanishes frequently, and says things that don't make any sense.

4. After Lisa Shilling berates Mary Nell Fickett for quite some time, what does she do?
(a) She watches a movie starring Elizabeth Taylor.
(b) She begs Mary Nell for help.
(c) She shoves Mary Nell through a glass door.
(d) She slaps Mary Nell.

5. Lisa Shilling says a specific thing in the movie Raintree Country makes her "'a little nervous'" (p. 70). What is that thing?
(a) The strobe-like lighting.
(b) The scene in the insane asylum.
(c) The way the movie has been colorized from the original black and white.
(d) The mental illness of the character portrayed by Elizabeth Taylor.

Short Answer Questions

1. Lisa Shilling tells her friends that she is always tired. Why is she always tired?

2. During one group therapy session Lisa Shilling teases Mary Nell Fickett by making up a recurring dream. What is the dream that Lisa makes up?

3. Mary Nell Fickett states Lisa Shilling's diagnosis is "'a paranoid or a schizophrenic, and maybe both together'" (p. 68). Elizabeth Frazer disagrees and states Lisa's diagnosis is...

4. Elizabeth Frazer agrees to try to help Lisa Shilling only after...

5. What diagnosis is described by "when someone wants to do something and yet knows he shouldn't, he reaches out for the thing he shouldn't have, remembers he shouldn't have it, and pulls back. He can go through this for hours, days, years, which makes him absolutely motionless, afraid to do anything" (p. 62)?

Short Essay Questions

1. The Reverend Fickett makes a personal attempt to have Lisa Shilling's condition accepted and treated. With Mr. Milne, a school teacher, he calls upon Mr. Shilling directly. His attempt meets with failure as Mr. Shilling stonewalls him. Should Rev. Fickett have done anything differently? Should Rev. Fickett have given up when he did?

2. Mary Nell Fickett and Betsy Goodman briefly consider inviting Lisa Shilling's younger sister Tracy to their group therapy sessions. They decide against it. Why do they decide against it?

3. As the novel points out, Mr. and Mrs. Shilling ultimately are the legally responsible persons for the care of the daughter Lisa. After reading of their stubborn refusal to admit there is a problem, is this the approach that society should continue to utilize for child rearing?

4. Between Elizabeth Frazer, Mary Nell Fickett, and Betsy Goodman, which character tries the least to understand Lisa Shilling's diagnosis?

5. Mr. Milne makes a few attempts to have Lisa Shilling's condition accepted and treated. He calls upon the school authorities in a formal and, later, an informal manner. He also meets with Rev. Fickett and Mr. Shilling directly. His attempts meet with failure as first Bernstein and the school administration and later Mr. Shilling stonewall him. Should Milne have done anything differently? Should Milne have given up when he did?

6. Describe Lisa Shilling's punctuality and dependability.

7. Describe some of Lisa Shilling's self-destructive behaviors.

8. How does Betsy Goodman's focus on movie stars help develop the plot?

9. Describe the typical group therapy session involving Lisa Shilling, Betsy Goodman, Mary Nell Fickett, and Elizabeth Frazer.

10. What actions does Lisa Shilling take to attempt to convince her parents that she needs professional help?

(see the answer keys)

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