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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 did O'Connor see in the book "Believe It or Not"?

2. What did one of O'Connor's peafowl lose in the mowing machine?

3. Granville Hicks reviewed a novel by whom?

4. O'Connor says no other writer was hotter after the dollar than whom?

5. What award did Percy Walker win?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does the peahen act when she lays eggs?

2. What does O'Connor say about the Manicheans in "The Nature and Aim of Fiction"?

3. Why does O'Connor believe that Christian writers will best be able to discern the grotesque?

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

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

6. How does O'Connor feel about the fiction writer using symbols?

7. What does O'Connor say about reality in fiction writing?

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

9. What does O'Connor say about those who have the gift for writing?

10. How does O'Connor describe grotesque writing?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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?

Essay Topic 2

Explore the benefits O'Connor says come from being a Georgia writer. What limitations might be established by calling oneself a Georgia writer? What do you think O'Connor means when she says the limitations are a gateway to reality? How does regionalism relate to reality? What does she say about writers who have a sense of community?

Essay Topic 3

Explore O'Connor's view that writers should veer away from abstract concepts. What is her stance on using symbols in fiction? When do they work? What is the problem with the way writers use them? How does O'Connor say she uses symbols? How should using symbols tie into addressing reality?

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