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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. What does Betsy Goodman conclude in the definition of madness?

2. According to the narrator, which major character seems to contribute the most meaningful comments during group therapy sessions?

3. Of the four major characters in the novel, which one eventually becomes the decision-maker of the group?

4. As the end of school approaches, Elizabeth Frazer plans to go to Maine, Many Nell Fickett plans to go to Ohio, and Betsy Goodman plans to go to Westbury, New York. Why do these exciting summer plans trouble the girls?

5. Lisa Shilling has her friends promise that they will do something if she becomes violent. What do they promise to do?

Short Essay Questions

1. Cover photographs aside, what narratives clues are there that identify the four protagonists as white?

2. If you were in Lisa's situation, to whom would you turn for help?

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

4. When discussing a movie about mental illness with her friends, Lisa Shilling comments on one particular aspect or scene of the movie that makes her uncomfortable. What is that aspect?

5. 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?

6. Describe Lisa Shilling's punctuality and dependability.

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

8. After Lisa Shilling deliberately walks through a glass window she is hospitalized with fairly serious injuries. She remains in the hospital for at least a few days. Mary Nell Fickett assumes that this suicide attempt necessarily will involve social workers who will force Mr. and Mrs. Shilling to confront Lisa's mental illness. However, this does not occur. Why?

9. 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.

10. Lisa Shilling occasionally talks in a deep, sultry voice with a notable English accent. Betsy Goodman associates this English-sounding Lisa with the dark Lisa. In popular psychology, what type of mental illness would account for this distinction?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 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

The novel features a few construction elements that make the exact identify of the narrator ambiguous in some portions. Describe who you think is the narrator of the novel. Can the narrator be identified as a single character? Is the narrator reliable?

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