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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 many sections does the story "Summer Dust" have?

2. What grade were the children who visited O'Connor's farm to see her peafowl?

3. What did the telephone repairman comment on when O'Connor asked what he thinks of the peacock?

4. In what city did O'Connor's friend from Wisconsin buy a house?

5. What does O'Connor say fiction should deal with?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does O'Connor think some people pretend to be unaffected by the peacocks?

2. Why does O'Connor advise that if an author is called a Southern writer he is best to rid himself of the title as soon as possible?

3. Why did the man who sold fence posts get rid of his peafowl?

4. How does O'Connor feel about the average person that is interested in writing?

5. How did the peacock react when a telephone repairman tried to get him to strut?

6. What is the gist of an editorial written to Life magazine regarding writers?

7. How does O'Connor feel about short stories?

8. Why did a photographer visit O'Connor when she was a young girl?

9. How does O'Connor react to the editorial's cry for more spiritual writing, showing the joys of life?

10. How did the peafowl feel about O'Connor after nine years?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Explore the use of Mary Ann as a representation for grotesque-style literature. How does the story of Mary Ann help O'Connor to gain new perspective on the topic of the grotesque? How does she start to think differently about the way people see "good" in things? Why does she say that it is easier to see evil than it is to see good? How does this relate to Mary Ann? How does it relate to the grotesque?

Essay Topic 2

Look at O'Connor's feelings toward aspiring writers. What does O'Connor feel most aspiring writers are interested in? What does she mean when she says aspiring writers are interested in "being a writer"? What should the serious writer be interested in? Why do you think she makes a point to stress these ideas to a writing class? Why does it frustrate the author to have to explain writing?

Essay Topic 3

Explore the way O'Connor uses her own story about a family of six, "A Good Man Is Hard to Find," to highlight her plea for readers to stop over analyzing her work. What does she say typically happens when the story is read? How would she like readers to read this story? Why do you think she would prefer readers to stop trying to figure this story and her other works out?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 866 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample