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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 wrote in his notebook: "If I had not known you, I would not have found you"?

2. Who does O'Connor say South Boston belongs to?

3. What writer does O'Connor say is an exception to the fact that Southern writers are not successfully cosmopolitan in fiction?

4. When does O'Connor say she figured out what fiction was?

5. Who is the author that O'Connor says is not a good writer, but his intent should not be judged?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why is the fiction writer vulnerable to public criticism?

2. Why does O'Connor suspect that readers like it when the devil appears in fiction?

3. What does O'Connor say about "The Foundling" written by Cardinal Spellman?

4. What does O'Connor say about her book when she reviews it for class?

5. How does O'Connor respond to those who say that Catholics cannot be artists?

6. What does O'Connor say should be the result of the proper study of literature?

7. Why does O'Connor say the Protestant South is a good place for Catholic writers to write?

8. What story does O'Connor tell at the beginning of "Catholic Novelists and Their Readers"?

9. How does O'Connor feel about bestseller lists?

10. What does O'Connor say about absolutes in fiction, particularly religious fiction?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Look at O'Connor's conscious decision to let her birds take over her life and her farm. At what point does she realize she has to decide to choose whether she wants to keep her birds or let them rule her life? What do you think it says about O'Connor that she ask the man selling fence posts, "Who went?" in regards to his grandmother or his birds? Before reaching the end of the essay, did you think she might give her birds up? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

Explore O'Connor's obsession with chickens and then peafowl. Discuss how her obsession for birds grows after the photographer comes to visit. Why do you think her obsession follows his visit? What feelings does O'Connor seem to have about the photographer's visit? Consider the fact that he never visits again. A spokesperson from each group should tell the class what the group talked about.

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)

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