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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 group is Conrad a part of in school?

2. What do Cal and Beth fight about in chapter 6?

3. What does Conrad have trouble doing?

4. What makes Beth angry while she and Cal are out together?

5. Why doesn't Conrad tell Beth about quitting the team?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Conrad prove by making an appointment with Dr. Berger?

2. Why does Cal want to see Dr. Berger in chapter 17?

3. What makes Cal think that Conrad is resuming a regular routine in chapter 1?

4. Why doesn't Conrad first reveal that he had a brother to Dr. Berger?

5. What are Conrad's feelings about getting a car for Christmas?

6. How does Conrad feel he has let Beth down?

7. Describe Conrad's meeting with Karen.

8. What does Conrad's dream of being confined in a tunnel represent?

9. What does Conrad use as an excuse to quit the swim team?

10. According to Conrad, how does Beth feel about him?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Many of the events in "Ordinary People" are realistic, such as Conrad's reaction to Karen's death. What other elements of the novel are realistic? Analyze the realism in the novel and explain whether it is effective as a literary technique.

Essay Topic 2

What is the lowest point of Conrad's life in the novel? What is the highest point? Provide evidence from the novel to strengthen your argument.

Essay Topic 3

What role does Karen's death play in Conrad's life? How is Karen's death significant to the progression of the novel?

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