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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 do Cal and his partner discuss at work?

2. What is the name of Cal's mentor in school?

3. What does Conrad get from Cal after they talk about the fight?

4. What do Conrad and Jeanine eat on their date?

5. What is Cal's plan when Beth leaves in chapter 31?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why will Beth never forgive Conrad?

2. Describe the progression of Jeanine and Conrad's relationship to chapter 30.

3. Which parent does Conrad fear most?

4. Why does Conrad want to call Karen?

5. What do Conrad and Jeanine believe is the reason they got better?

6. Why does Conrad feel vulnerable after Karen's suicide?

7. What does Karen's death force Conrad to do?

8. When and why did Arnold stop mentoring Cal?

9. When Cal and Beth are in Texas, why doesn't Beth discuss Conrad with her family?

10. Describe Conrad's reaction to Karen's death.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The novel's resolution occurs in the epilogue. What is the purpose of the epilogue in the novel? What resolution to the conflict does it offer?

Essay Topic 2

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 3

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

(see the answer keys)

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