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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. Who called art "reason in making"?

2. What does O'Connor say a writer needs but cannot get from a writing class?

3. Thomas Mann said that the grotesque is what style?

4. What does O'Connor say that most people interested in writing are not interested in?

5. Who said that the artist is concerned with the good of that which is made?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What observations does O'Connor make about the student manuscripts she read?

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

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

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

6. How did a man and his five white-haired children react when they saw the peacock in the road?

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

8. How does O'Connor describe grotesque writing?

9. How does O'Connor feel about the peahens?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What does O'Connor mean when she says it is the business of fiction to embody mystery and manners? What does she mean when she talks of manners? Of mystery? How does a writer figure out what their mystery and manners are? How does O'Connor find her mystery and manners? How do mystery and manners work together to create interesting fiction? How does regionalism tie into mystery and manners?

Essay Topic 2

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 3

What do you think O'Connor means when she says Southerners write about freaks because they can still recognize them? What does she mean when she talks about the "whole man"? How does this tie into the idea that Southerners tend to be grotesque-style writers? What does she seem to mean when she uses the term "freak?"

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This section contains 839 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample