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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. Connell's mother works in what type of position?

2. What action does Connell always take whenever Marianne criticizes his friends?

3. For whose family does Connell's mother work?

4. Lorraine wants to know from Connell what "all of this" what "is about" (53) between Connell and Marianne?

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

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the significance of Connell's interpretation of the story circulated about Marianne?

2. What are the conditions under which Connell tells Marianne that he loves her?

3. How is Connell's mother Lorraine employed?

4. How does Alan react when Marianne refuses to speak to Connell on the phone?

5. What plan had Connell had in place for when he encountered Marianne again and what is its result?

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

7. What are the physical differences between Lorraine and Connell?

8. Who is Miss Neary?

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

10. How does Lorraine react to the news that Connell is taking Rachel to the Debs?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Analyze the interplay between the resolution of Normal People and one of the novel's main messages. How does Rooney make connections between these elements and how does their juxtaposition help them get across one main message of the novel?

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.

(see the answer keys)

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