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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. Elizabeth asks if depression is _________

2. What is Paris's reaction to Elizabeth rant about what it feels like to be depressed?

3. Which actress does Elizabeth say she wants to be like?

4. What is the name of Elizabeth's new boyfriend after her father leaves?

5. What floor does Elizabeth live on in her Harvard dorm room?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Elizabeth finally become resigned to?

2. Describe the guys that Elizabeth and her friends take up with?

3. Why does Elizabeth want Sam?

4. Why does Elizabeth say that she never had to worry about a crash landing?

5. How does Elizabeth feel while describing her family situation to therapists in relation to her depression?

6. Why does Elizabeth wish she had a real ailment or drug addiction instead of depression?

7. Why do Elizabeth and Jethro decide to take some cocaine?

8. Describe the mood of Elizabeth and her mother on their way to Harvard.

9. What does Elizabeth dream after her father disappears?

10. What is the Catch-22-like situation that Elizabeth finds herself in?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Wurtzel jumps from doctor to doctor when her mental health begins to deteriorate at age 12. What kind of impact do you think this has on her development and diagnosis of the disease? Do you think the impact is positive or negative? Why? Use specific examples with various doctors to support your theory.

Essay Topic 2

Elizabeth believes that one of the fallacies of contemporary psychotherapy was the belief that if a person talks about how they feel, their problems will be solved. Why does she believe this is a mistake? Does her family currently talk too much or not enough? Give three specific examples. What do you think the psychological impact of these talks have on Elizabeth? Do you think her family and its approach to talking ultimately helps her or has a negative impact?

Essay Topic 3

Analyze Elizabeth's description of her depression, taken from a quote by The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway, "Gradually, and then suddenly." Why do you think Elizabeth is attracted to this expression? What about her depression and how she deals with the disease fits into this quote? Use specific examples from the book to explain the "gradual" parts and then the "sudden" parts of Elizabeth's interaction with depression and how it comes to affect every aspect of her life.

(see the answer keys)

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