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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. Which character told the unnamed narrator and others a story in Ann Arbor, 2002 about the rape of an undergraduate by a graduate student?

2. On what part of the unnamed narrator's body did Artemisia place her hand, as described at the end of Italy, 2000?

3. What kind of school was the unnamed narrator attending when she met her friend Laura?

4. The unnamed narrator describes Artemisia's hair in the summer of 2000 as being what length?

5. How many other people were interacting with the art exhibition at the same time as the unnamed narrator and her dark-haired friend?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What was the outcome of the tenant's story in the section entitled Ann Arbor, 2002?

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

4. What information about the unnamed narrator's romantic life does the reader learn in Italy, 2000?

5. What emotion does the unnamed narrator name as one that is difficult for women to express?

6. What distinction does the unnamed narrator make between "the woman as object" and "the woman as subject" (45)?

7. For what reason was the narrator in Italy in the summer of 2000?

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

9. How does the unnamed narrator explain her impulse to kiss Artemisia near the end of the section called Italy, 2000?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Trace the characterization arc of the unnamed narrator's character throughout the novel Topics of Conversation. Discuss whether she is a round or flat character and whether she is a static or dynamic character.

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the instances of irony within the narrative of Topics of Conversation and analyze Popkey’s purpose for including each instance you discuss.

Essay Topic 3

Sensory details are used frequently by Popkey in order to create vivid pictures of each character's progression through the narrative of Topics of Conversation. Choose three scenes in which sensory details are heavily used and discuss how the sensory details used serve Popkey’s creation of vivid characters to populate the narrative.

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