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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 Mariah ask Lucy at the beginning of Chapter 2?

2. What is Lewis doing to Lucy in Lucy's dream?

3. Where does the family stay when away from their main residence?

4. How does Lucy feel when she says something that hurts Mariah's feelings?

5. How many days has Lucy been in her new country in Chapter 1?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who lived in the house where Lucy lived and worked?

2. Why does Lucy enjoy hurting Mariah?

3. What is the story of Sylvie?

4. How does Mariah represent Lucy's mother for Lucy?

5. What does Lucy note about the train ride to the Great Lakes?

6. How do Lucy and Mariah seem to have a hard time getting to know each other?

7. What was the dream Lucy related to the family one day, and how did they respond?

8. What is the usual content of Lucy's mother's letters to her?

9. Why has Lucy come to America?

10. What does Lucy feel about spring and why was Mariah sad on the first day of spring this year?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

LUCY is sometimes defined as an autobiographical piece based on Jamaica Kincaid's life. Do some research about Kincaid's life and describe how Kincaid based the novel on her own life experiences.

Essay Topic 2

Explain the role of women in America in the mid-20th century when the novel is set. What precedents did they feel compelled to follow? What restrictions did they have? What freedoms, if any, did they have that 21st century women do not have?

Essay Topic 3

Explain the ongoing conflict between Mariah and Lewis. What are the main sources of the conflict? Why does it continue? What does Mariah learn about the reality of her life with Lewis as opposed to the perceptions she has held for so long?

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