View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Caroline Gordon informs Flannery that the goddess Venus has a chariot pulled by ____________.

2. Who writes an introduction to this chapter of letters?

3. Whose work does Flannery respect a great deal?

4. What does Flannery show no indication of pursuing or hoping for?

5. Flannery writes that her very old family members creak like _____________________.

Short Essay Questions

1. Explain how Flannery's humble work mirrors her simple lifestyle.

2. How does Flannery say she reacted when seeing the scope of the changes on her manuscript?

3. How is Flannery's health as the year 1963 comes to a close?

4. What does Flannery write regarding faith and skepticism to Alfred Corn?

5. How does Flannery describe her writing process?

6. What is Sally Fitzgerald's perspective on how Flannery dealt with her illness?

7. What is known about Flannery's romantic or personal life as revealed through her letters?

8. What information does Flannery share about the god, Thor, in one of her letters to John Hawkes?

9. What is Flannery's perspective on helping other writers?

10. How does Flannery describe a teaching assignment to Cecil?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Ancestry and Celtic heritage take on an almost human persona in the letters. What is the foundation of Flannery's placing such an emphasis on heritage? Is this a typical Southern trait? Or is this a writer's quirk? Or is this simply Flannery's appreciation of the people who had come before her? Explain your opinion.

Essay Topic 2

Explain the importance of the Introduction and Editorial Note in the book. What important parameters does it establish? What ideas does it introduce? Why did the editor feel it necessary to include this information? Explain.

Essay Topic 3

Explain the role of women in the rural South in the mid-twentieth century. What precedents do they feel compelled to follow? What restrictions do they have? What freedoms did they have that 21st century women do not have? Why would Flannery both have fit in in rural Georgia while at the same time distinguishing herself there? Explain.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,011 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample