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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. When Maria goes to the hairdresser, a girl comes in and tells her hairdresser that she just had an operation for what?

2. At the restaurant with Les Goodwin the day of Maria's abortion, what does she tell Les she wants to order?

3. When Maria comes home and finds Ivan Costello drunk in her house and she tells him "No", how does he respond?

4. Who acts as Maria's witness at Maria and Carter's divorce hearing?

5. What does the doctor on Wilshire tell Maria about whoever did the abortion?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Maria realize about the day of the audition?

2. What happens when Maria waits for a pay phone at the grocery store and what does it represent?

3. What happens when Maria and Kate have dinner at Felicia and Les Goodwin's house during the Christmas holiday and why is it significant?

4. What does Maria do after she is unsuccessful in her attempt to reach Benny in Vegas?

5. What fantasy does Maria have about Les and Kate and what does she realize about it?

6. When Ivan Costello returns Maria's phone call, how does he behave and what does it signify?

7. What happened the last time Maria saw her mother and how does it parallel Maria's situation?

8. How does Maria prepare to meet Les in a hotel room and what happens when he arrives?

9. What does Maria drop off at the doctor and why?

10. What does Maria do when she runs into Benny Austin at the Flamingo and why?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss conflict in the novel.

1. What is Maria's conflict with herself?

2. What is Maria's conflict with her friends and family?

3. What is Maria's conflict with society?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the role of class in the novel.

1. What is the impact of class mobility on the characters?

2. How are differences in class represented?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss mental illness as a theme in the novel.

1. How is treatment of mental illness represented in the novel?

2. What is Maria's familial history with mental illness?

(see the answer keys)

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