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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 is the name of the teacher who flirts with Connell?

2. What part of Marianne's body does Alan injure during their altercation?

3. The narrator states that Denise had "decided a long time ago that it is acceptable for men to use" what "toward Marianne as a way of expressing themselves" (68)?

4. In August of 2011, Alan is calling around to find out what information?

5. How many people know who Connell's biological father is?

Short Essay Questions

1. What comment of Marianne's does Connell repeat to himself and why?

2. Who is Miss Neary?

3. To what action of Rob's does Connell object and why?

4. What advice does Marianne give Connell about college?

5. When the reader joins Connell in the fall of his first year of college, to what changes has he had to adapt?

6. What story is continually told about Marianne during her high school years?

7. What is one theme present within the epigraph of Normal People?

8. How is the theme of self-deception demonstrated within the novel?

9. What does Marianne say just before Connell kisses her for the first time?

10. What had Connell's sexual experiences been like prior to meeting Marianne?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss Rooney’s use of metaphor, simile, imagery, and other literary devices as a means to send particular thematic messages within the narrative of Normal People.

Essay Topic 2

How do the themes of deception and secrecy function within Normal People and what is Rooney’s message regarding these themes?

Essay Topic 3

Trace the characterization arc of Connell’s character throughout the novel Normal People. Discuss whether Connell is a round or flat character and whether Connell is a static or dynamic character.

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