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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. When Rev. Fickett and Mr. Milne tell Mr. Shilling that his daughter Lisa is in serious trouble, what is Mr. Shilling's first assumption about Lisa's problem?

2. What does Lisa Shilling hope to accomplish by walking deliberately through a floor-to-ceiling window?

3. What does Betsy call her affected smile that starts at the left corner of her mouth and then spreads slowly across her whole face?

4. 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...

5. Why did Lisa Shilling and Betsy Goodman look to Elizabeth Frazer for answers to Lisa's problems?

Short Essay Questions

1. After Lisa assaults Elizabeth, she makes her close friends make her a particular promise. What is the promise, and why does she make them accept it?

2. The four protagonists have a backyard cookout that ends with Lisa Shilling assaulting Elizabeth Frazer. What leads up to Lisa's assault?

3. 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?

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

5. 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?

6. What techniques does Mrs. Shilling utilize to ignore her daughter Lisa's symptoms of mental illness?

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

8. Mary Nell Fickett believes that she might fully master the study of abnormal psychology by reading many books. Describe Mary Nell's reasoning and comment upon it.

9. 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?

10. Betsy Goodman meets with Mr. Bernstein several times and he explains why he cannot become involved. Yet she continues to turn to him for help. Why does Betsy continue to attempt to rely on Mr. Bernstein?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Mary Nell Fickett's father is the Reverend Fickett of a local congregation. Although the novel does not give many details about Rev. Fickett is is probably safe to assume he is Christian. Do you think that Mary Nell's character realistically portrays the daughter of a religious leader? What aspects (if any) of Mary Nell's character appear to epitomize the Christian faith? As you read the novel was it easy for you to accept that the Rev. Fickett was indeed a religious leader?

Essay Topic 2

In the final analysis, who is the novel 'about'? Is the novel the story of Lisa Shilling and her fight against mental illness? Or is the novel about Betsy Goodman and her coming of age as a friend in a difficult relationship? Is it about denial in parents and community? Or is it about someone or something else? 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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