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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. The unnamed narrator sometimes thinks that "one of the things [Artemisia] was trying to tell her" (27) was the unhappy status of her what?

2. In what state did Laura accept a fellowship around the same time the unnamed narrator moved away?

3. The unnamed narrator states in the section entitled Los Angeles, 2011 that she dislikes discussing which subject?

4. With which character did the unnamed narrator live in 2002?

5. What tool did the unnamed narrator and her dark-haired friend use to combat their discomfort with a particular element of life?

Short Essay Questions

1. How did the unnamed narrator feel about the dissolution of Laura's marriage?

2. How does the unnamed narrator feel about society's understanding of "the woman as object" versus "the woman as subject" (45)?

3. For what reason does the unnamed narrator use a hedge maze as a metaphor for Artemisia's life?

4. Discuss a moment in the novel when the unnamed narrator hints or states outright that she may be an unreliable narrator.

5. What does the telephone symbolize within the section of the novel entitled Italy, 2000?

6. How does the unnamed narrator feel about the truth and lies, according to her statements in Los Angeles, 2011?

7. What was the subject of the Swedish artist's creations, according to the unnnamed narrator?

8. Discuss an instance when Popkey uses the second person point of view to connect with the reader.

9. What is the main setting featured within the section entitled San Francisco, 2010?

10. How did the unnamed narrator view Artemisia during the trip to Italy in 2000 and why?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss Popkey's choice to use a first-person narrator to tell the story of the novel Topics of Conversation. What elements of the novel's themes lend themselves to this choice and what are Popkey’s intended effects on the reader?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss Popkey’s use of metaphor, simile, imagery, and other literary devices as a means to send particular thematic messages within the narrative of Topics of Conversation.

Essay Topic 3

Discuss Popkey's messages about motherhood within the text Topics of Conversation.

(see the answer keys)

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