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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. Which character's father is a minister?

2. After Lisa Shilling's self-mutilation episode at school, Jeremy Bernstein diagnoses Lisa's condition as...

3. The narrator of the novel is...

4. When the narrator describes her mother as a "joiner" (p. 31) what does she mean?

5. Which character is the youngest major character of the novel?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

10. What kind of a job does Mr. Jackson do as the school principal?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Examine the role of class in the novel. Which characters act appropriately for their class? Who is the wealthiest character in the novel and how do they act? Who is the poorest character in the novel and how do they act?

Essay Topic 2

Which character causes the most harm to Lisa Shilling--Mr. Bernstein, Mr. Shilling, or Mrs. Shilling? Explain and defend your selection.

Essay Topic 3

Elizabeth Frazer was diagnosed with an unspecified but severe mental illness at about age twelve or thirteen. She spent four years committed in an asylum under the care of Dr. Neil Donovan. She then moves to the town of the novel's primary setting and lives there for about a year or perhaps two. Immediately, she is noticed by Lisa Shilling who feels some type of affinity for her because they both somehow share the bond of mental illness. Discuss this strange attraction. Is it credible? How might it arise? Why does Elizabeth not run away from Lisa as representative of a past she herself has struggled with?

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