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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. How does John respond?

2. What does John get a lot of money for?

3. What does Lonnie conquer in death?

4. What does Aunt Emily enjoy giving?

5. How does john feel when he leaves his aunt's house?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does John reveal to Aunt Emily?

2. Has John completely abandoned his search?

3. Why is Kate so happy in Chicago?

4. What is interesting about the marriage?

5. How does the novel end?

6. Does John enjoy seeing Harold?

7. When John talks to Kate, what does she say she was really trying to do?

8. Who is waiting for John when he arrives at Aunt Emily's house?

9. What does John realize about his life search?

10. Why is Kate so angry with John?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

John's longing for a deep and close relationship with a woman is constantly explored throughout the book:

1. Who does John attempt to create relationships? Why does he choose these types of women to go after?

2. How does John's relationship with Aunt Emily, his mother, and Kate, hinder his ability to create healthy relationships with other women?

3. How does John's relationship with movies and being a moviegoer stop him from building relationships.

Essay Topic 2

Kate claims that she wanted to feel numb when she took all the sleeping pills. Compare the feeling of numbness with the excitement that Kate feels when she goes to Chicago.

As the novel ends, does Kate give up on her search for independence? Or is she only willing to have a certain kind of independence?

Essay Topic 3

1. How is the theme of money inadvertently explored throughout the book?

2. John's family seems to be a staple of New Orleans society. How does having money make the family influential to the rest of the community?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 680 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample