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

2. Flannery did not give her life over to marriage and ______________.

3. What type of lifestyle did Flannery have?

4. In a letter to "A" Flannery tells about how to handle _______________.

5. Within provincial Georgia, Flannery is considered to be one of ____________________.

Short Essay Questions

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

2. How does Flannery use humor in the incident involving the discovery of body parts?

3. What outstanding quality emerges when looking at the length of time span for the letters?

4. How does Sally Fitzgerald's being a friend of Flannery's enriched the experience of the letters for the reader?

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

6. To which person does Flannery write both the first and last letters in this section?

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

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

9. What fear about her book does Flannery share in a letter in this section?

10. What is unusual about Flannery's friend, Louise's, visit to a doctor for the flu?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe the overall setting and time period for the letters. What was America like during this time period? What was O'Connor's South like during this time period? How important are the time period and setting to the attitudes and issues of Flannery and her friends and business colleagues?

Essay Topic 2

Flannery's Catholic beliefs are very important to her as evidenced in her letters. Why do you think Flannery is especially devout? Why do you think Flannery is willing to really dig into her religion and explore other Catholic writers and what they are saying? Does Flannery's illness play a part in her beliefs? Can she be considered a zealot? Explain.

Essay Topic 3

Flannery O'Connor is famous for her use of terrifying or shocking situations for her characters. Based on what you know about her from her letters, why do you think O'Connor chose shocking and frightening situations for her characters? Are you surprised that this type of characterization could come from such a seemingly demure Southern woman? Explain.

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This section contains 916 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample