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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. Betsy Goodman and Mary Nell Fickett try to diagnose Lisa Shilling by watching Elizabeth Taylor's performance in which movie?
2. How extensive are Lisa Shilling's physical wounds after she walks through a floor-to-ceiling window?
3. After Lisa Shilling berates Mary Nell Fickett for quite some time, what does she do?
4. Which major character is described as "a tall, blonde girl who seemed contained from within by taut wires strung from shoulder to shoulder, from head to hip. Self-contained and beautiful and distant, and suddenly mysterious" (pp. 59-60)?
5. Mr. Bernstein says he entirely can't act in Lisa Shilling's best interests because he must do what?
Short Essay Questions
1. Betsy Goodman believes at one point that she might gain valuable insight into Lisa Shilling's condition simply by watching an Elizabeth Taylor movie. Describe Betsy's reasoning and comment upon it.
2. How might the narrative differ if the protagonists were male?
3. Cover photographs aside, what narratives clues are there that identify the four protagonists as white?
4. Describe Lisa Shilling's punctuality and dependability.
5. If you were in Lisa's situation, to whom would you turn for help?
6. 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?
7. The four protagonists have a backyard cookout that ends with Lisa Shilling assaulting Elizabeth Frazer. What leads up to Lisa's assault?
8. 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?
9. What techniques does Mrs. Shilling utilize to ignore her daughter Lisa's symptoms of mental illness?
10. Is Betsy Goodman a reliable narrator?
Essay Topics
Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:
Essay Topic 1
The novel presents four teenage girls who begin the year thinking about boys, dating, and sexuality. As the year progresses they think more and more about mental illness and less and less about dating. Discuss elements of sexuality within the novel--why are characters attracted to each other? Is Betsy attracted only to looks? Or does she have a deeper understanding of sexuality? Will she be successful as a married housewife?
Essay Topic 2
Describe the process of maturation demonstrated by the character of Mary Nell Fickett. How does she change and grow during the events of the novel?
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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This section contains 1,245 words (approx. 5 pages at 300 words per page) |
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