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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. Why does the Object say she is happy that Callie's family is going on vacation to Turkey?

2. What is Dr. Luce's specialty?

3. What is Callie's initial impression of the Obscure Object?

4. Why do all of the Sunday dinner guests except for Father Mike and Zoe stop coming to Middlesex?

5. Where does Milton announce he wants the family to travel to?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Milton react to his impending death after running his car off of the bridge?

2. How do Milton and Chapter Eleven attempt to "bury the hatchet" when Chapter Eleven returns home to support his parents following Callie's disappearance?

3. Why does Father Mike pretend to be Callie's kidnapper?

4. Compare and contrast Milton's and Chapter Eleven's views on the Vietnam War.

5. Describe the dynamics of Zoe's and Father Mike's relationship.

6. What do all of the women working at Sixty-Niners have in common?

7. What is the connection between the mulberry tree outside of Middlesex and the silk industry?

8. Why does Callie name her love interest "the Obscure Object"?

9. How does Tessie react to the fight that Milton has with the men during Sunday dinner?

10. What steps does Callie take in this chapter to physically transform herself into Cal?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Compare and contrast the narrator's lives as Calliope and Cal. How are they similar? How are they different? Which identity (Cal or Calliope) do you believe is his/her "true" self?Cite several specific examples from the novel to support your ideas.

Essay Topic 2

Throughout Middlesex, Jeffrey Eugenides weaves actual events from history (Turkish and American) into his fictional story. Select one of the situations where he places his characters within a real historical context and:

1) Describe the historical context of the scene or chapter (i.e. What actually happened in history that Eugenides uses in the book?).

2) Discuss the relationship between the historical context and the fictional story of the Stephanides family. What does this piece of history have to do with the family's life? Why does Eugenides choose to place these characters at this particular point in the story in this particular historical context?

Essay Topic 3

One of the themes in Middlesex is the American Dream. Discuss how the American Dream is used in this novel and what it says about the attainability of the dream. Cite several specific examples from the novel to support your ideas.

(see the answer keys)

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