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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. What does Esther do that gets her transferred to another hospital?

2. Why does Esther compare her photo with that of a dead girl published in the paper?

3. What keeps Esther from committing suicide with the cord from her mother's robe?

4. Who do Esther and Joan both get letters from?

5. Why doesn't Esther wash her clothes or bathe?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does the private hospital staff compare to those at the public hospital?

2. How does Esther find out about Joan's homosexuality?

3. What does Esther do at Deer Island?

4. What does Dr. Nolan tell Esther to help her feel better about Joan's death?

5. How is Esther's shock treatment experience at the private hospital different than the one she had with Dr. Gordon?

6. Describe Esther's feelings as she visits the gynecologist.

7. What news does Esther expect Dr. Nolan to give her after her insulin reaction? What news does she actually give her?

8. How does Esther feel as she is waiting to enter her exit hearing?

9. Characterize Esther's behavior in the psychiatric wards of the hospitals

10. Describe Esther's feelings about the women living in Belsize

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The Bell Jar is written from Esther's first person point of view. Write an essay examining the novel's point of view focusing on:

1) the narrator's bias

2) the amount of information given based on this point of view

3) comment on how the novel would be different if it was told from a different point of view.

Cite several specific examples from the novel to support your ideas.

Essay Topic 2

This novel deals with the relationship between talent and mental stability. In your essay:

1) discuss how this relationship plays out in Esther and the other characters

2) state what you think Plath is saying about this relationship

3) comment on Plath's ideas. Is she right? Why or why not?

Cite several specific examples from the novel to support your ideas.

Essay Topic 3

As The Bell Jar develops, so does the main character's mental illness. In your essay:

1) describe the progression of her illness

2) describe and explain the "red flags" that showed she was getting increasingly worse

3) comment on the role that the other characters played in her deterioration.

Cite several specific examples from the novel to support your ideas.

(see the answer keys)

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