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. Who is the young man that Art notices working at a library?

2. Which of the following does Art's father NOT say to him at dinner?

3. Which of the following is NOT a nickname of Art's new friends?

4. What does Jane privately ask Art about Cleveland?

5. Where does Art's father live?

Short Essay Questions

1. What happens when the Bellwethers return home early?

2. How does Art get to meet Cleveland?

3. What does Phlox think her relationship with Art is and what does she do about it?

4. Who is Happy?

5. How do the precipice and the cloud factory symbolize Art's fantasies for his new life?

6. What fantasy does Art employ when he is about to make love to Phlox for the first time?

7. What is the first intimate interlude between Art and Arthur?

8. How does the author indicate that Art may have had an emotional breakdown at one point?

9. How does the author show Phlox's opinion of Arthur's sexuality?

10. How does Art feel about Cleveland's meeting his father?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The search for love seems to be an unnamed character in the book. How pervasive is this longing for love? Why does it have such a prevalent place in the characters' lives? Explain how an inanimate object or characteristic can be a character.

Essay Topic 2

Explain the taboo of homosexuality in the 1980s. Compare and contrast homosexuality in America during the 1980s to homosexuality in America today. What major changes have occurred--both positive and negative?

Essay Topic 3

Explain the symbolism of Phlox's role in Art's life. What does it signify? What role does she play for Art in the book? Why did the author choose Phlox as a sort of foil in the story?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 936 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample