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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. Where do the Lisbon girls spend the Day of Grieving?

2. Who visits Lux in the hospital?

3. What major project is the Parks Department working on?

4. When the boys find Muffie Perry, what is she doing?

5. What spring activity do the girls not attend as usual?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the state of the Lisbon house in Chapter 4.

2. How does Mr. Lisbon's behavior at school change after Cecilia's suicide?

3. What do the boys make of Therese's ham radio conversations?

4. What was "The Day of Grieving" and how was it observed?

5. How do the boys spend the early part of the evening on June 15?

6. What do the boys see when they first look into the Lisbons' home on June 15th?

7. How did Lux's date end?

8. How did the Lisbons deal with their friends' and neighbors' offers of sympathy?

9. What happens on Trip Fontaine's vacation in Acapulco that changes his life significantly?

10. How do the Lisbon girls save, at least temporarily, their elm tree?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

At the dance, Therese says to her date, "We just want to live. If anyone would let us." What does she mean? Are the Lisbon girls not living? Is she referring to Cecilia, or to her own future suicide? Is there someone or something refusing to let them live?

Essay Topic 2

We have talked a lot about setting in the context of this novel. Please discuss in an essay what the setting of The Virgin Suicides is, how it affects the story, how it affects the characters, and how the characters affect the setting.

Essay Topic 3

Compare the story of the Lisbon girls to the story of the dying elm trees. How does one represent the other? How are they connected?

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