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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 famous wedding is the Finch family watching on the television?

2. What message does Freud supposedly give to the dreamer?

3. What does Natalie say that she would like to study at Smith College?

4. What seafood do Augusten and Natalie eat for dinner after the whale watch?

5. Where does Natalie get her first job?

Short Essay Questions

1. What happens when Augusten and Natalie go into the city to search for part-time jobs?

2. Why do the Finch family still have a Christmas tree in May?

3. What does Augusten do after he realizes that Neil Bookman has disappeared?

4. What are the consequences of Deirdre taking Cesar home with her from the mental hospital?

5. What happens when Natalie and Augusten go to visit Father Kimmel in town?

6. Halfway through the memoir, the demeanor of the Finch family home begins to change. In what ways is stress affecting the family?

7. What does Augusten witness on the last night before Deirdre is taken away by the police?

8. What significant event happens during Natalie and Augusten's first live performance at the mental health hospital?

9. What happens to the rest of the Finch family in the epilogue?

10. What does Augusten explain has happened to Dr. Finch and Deirdre in the epilogue?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The sexuality of the characters is a huge theme throughout the memoir. Give two examples of inappropriate sexual relationships between adults and children in the memoir. Then explain the way that the Finch family deals with those sexual relationships and the way that these relationships have shaped and scarred the children involved.

Essay Topic 2

At the conclusion of the memoir, many readers will side with Augusten in his belief that the Finch household was a terrible place to grow up, but they were the only stability that he had as a child. Give three examples of times when the Finches proved that they had Augusten's best interests at heart, and explain why the Finches may have been portrayed in a bad light throughout the memoir.

Essay Topic 3

Another theme that is very prevalent in the memoir is one of normalcy versus absurdity. Explain what Augusten thought was normal, and give an example of a time that he strove to be normal, fighting against his absurd surroundings. What was the outcome of Augusten's fight for normalcy in that situation?

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