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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. In which city did the protagonist stop on her road-trip?

2. Against whom does the protagonist rail in describing her regard for her brother?

3. Where does the protagonist note Jung had had a comatose patient?

4. Which of the following does the protagonist claim to be unable to escape?

5. Which of the following composers does the protagonist esteem?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why, per the protagonist, do falling climbers feel peace?

2. Why does the protagonist indicate people prefer the idea of fate to the idea of chance?

3. What reason does the protagonist give for not pursuing many romantic relationships?

4. What does the protagonist cite as her chief gripe with mental health professionals?

5. Why does the protagonist object to being put on antipsychotic medication?

6. How does the interlocutor describe his daughter?

7. Why does the protagonist note she was less disturbed at their father’s death than her brother was?

8. Per the novel, what is a prestige?

9. How does the protagonist explain her father’s recourse to alternative medicines?

10. What purpose does the protagonist posit for her dominant hallucination from early in her experience with it?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Section divisions, their titles, and chapter numbering / division schema are all components of paratext. That is, they are not part of the text but are associated with it closely and affect its meaning. What significance, if any, accrues to the chapter-numbering scheme at work in Stella Maris? If there is significance, how does that significance manifest? If there is not, what in the novel supports the paratextual divisions that are in place?

Essay Topic 2

Sources attest to the presence of Stella Maris on best-seller lists. Assuming that sales figures reflect popularity, what accounts for the popularity of the novel? How does it do so?

Essay Topic 3

Similarly, the lengths of chapters influence reading. What pattern of chapter-length is present in the novel, if any? What effect does the length of chapters have on the reading? How is the effect achieved?

(see the answer keys)

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