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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. In what European city did Lucy live to have more surgery?

2. Ann moved in with her boyfriend, _____________, who lived in a small cottage.

3. Who stalked Ann for awhile during this time?

4. Why did Ann phone Lucy from Yaddo all the time?

5. What did Ann's father buy for her in 1989?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who was Elizabeth McCracken and how did Ann meet her?

2. Why did Lucy have an obsession with the Holocaust?

3. Why was Lucy happy when Ann broke up with Dennis?

4. Who was B- and what role did he play in Lucy and Ann's life?

5. What did Lucy's pulling out of the documentary symbolize for Lucy?

6. What role did Lucy represent in her friendship with Ann?

7. What did Lucy find strength in what made her consider writing non-fiction instead of fiction?

8. Who was Dennis, and why was he not a positive force in Ann's life?

9. By what standard did Ann measure success in her life?

10. What did the fortune teller tell Lucy that devastated her?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The author tells her story through a series of flashbacks. Why did she choose to tell her story this way? In what way is a flashback technique more interesting for a reader? In what ways is it more complicated? Is there any other way to write a memoir?

Essay Topic 2

Explain the concept of loneliness as it exhibits in the book. Why would writers have a lonely life even though it may have seemed exciting and glamorous to other people? Why would Lucy have had an especially lonely life because of the lack of romantic partners who were willing to see past her physical challenges? Explain the loneliness and the methods and attempts to overcome it.

Essay Topic 3

The author uses more than one iteration on the theme of regret. Identify at least two examples about regret in the book. Then explain how each example supports the theme of regret.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 978 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample