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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 Vanessa feel after complying with Strane’s requestion page 133?

2. Who approaches Vanessa after Christmas break having heard rumors of Vanessa’s affair with Strane?

3. On page 76, Vanessa compares herself to which literary character?

4. What is Vanessa’s last name?

5. How does Strane’s behavior reflect an agitated state of mind on page 83?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who is Jenny and what does the reader learn about her (and subsequently about Vanessa) on page 12?

2. Why does Jenny approach Vanessa in the winter of their sophomore year? How does Vanessa respond?

3. Whose poetry does Strane give Vanessa to read while she is still his student? What is the effect of this poetry on Vanessa?

4. Who testifies to Mrs. Giles that Strane and Vanessa have been having an affair? How does Vanessa respond?

5. What happens at the Halloween dance on page 62?

6. What procedure does Strane reveal he has had on page 102, and why does he reveal this information?

7. Who is Ira and what opinion does he have about Vanessa, as explained on page 50?

8. Who is Ruby and what does she and Vanessa discuss about abusers on page 9?

9. What novel does Strane give Vanessa and what effect does it have on Vanessa?

10. According to Strane following Vanessa’s conversation with Jenny, what would happen to Vanessa if anyone found out about their affair?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Vanessa experiences great change over the course of the novel. In what ways does she change and in what ways does she remain the same? By the novel’s end, is she better for these changes? What makes you say this? Explain your opinion using examples from the text.

Essay Topic 2

How does My Dark Vanessa illustrate the theme of shame and secrecy? Use textual evidence to support your analysis.

Essay Topic 3

What is the role of technology in the novel? How does technology impact My Dark Vanessa’s characters, plot, and themes?

(see the answer keys)

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