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. About which philosopher is Flannery seemingly very knowledgeable?

2. Flannery wrote her last letter __________________ prior to her death.

3. To whom does Flannery begin a letter with the salutation, "Dear Rayverberator"?

4. Flannery's mother wishes that the people who work on her farm could get _________________.

5. What does Flannery hope to complete by the end of the year?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. How does Flannery show that her characters become very real for her?

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

5. Which are the main topics Flannery consistently addresses in her letters?

6. What is the title of this Part and why is it significant?

7. What does Flannery write about conversion to her friend, "A?"

8. Explain Sally Fitzgerald's suggestion of why Flannery is working so diligently at this point in her life?

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

A thread of isolation is an important one in Flannery's letters. How was Flannery isolated as a child? How is a writer's life one of solitude and isolation? How is Flannery's personal life also very isolated? Does she choose some of the distancing she experiences or is isolation inherent in a writer's complete life? Explain.

Essay Topic 2

Explain the significance of the book's title. What does the editor mean by "The Habit of Being?" Suggest three alternate titles for this book with supporting text for each one.

Essay Topic 3

Flannery O'Connor is famous for her use of grotesque characters in her fiction. From what you know about O'Connor from reading her letters, what would make her create such hideous creatures? What was her motive for bringing the unsavory to life? Did she get a perverse pleasure out of shocking people? Explain.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 969 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample