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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 helped Lucy deal with her life?

2. How old was Lucy when her father died?

3. Ann was accepted into the Fine Arts Work Center in which city?

4. What jobs did Ann and Lucy have in Iowa?

5. In what state did Ann teach after her first novel was published?

Short Essay Questions

1. What was Ann's experience with the philanthropist adviser in New York?

2. What was so emotionally draining during Lucy's visit to Prague?

3. Describe an event in which Lucy was bullied in Scotland.

4. What were the circumstances of Lucy's disfigured face?

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

6. How did Ann come to know Lucy Grealy, and what circumstances made them roommates in Iowa?

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

8. Why was Ann Patchett looking for an apartment in Iowa City, Iowa, in 1985?

9. With whom did Lucy fall in love in Provincetown, and how did he affect her life?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

It has been said that creative people such as writers and artists have some degree of mental illness which makes their work brilliant. Explain whether or not you think mental illness shaped Lucy's life and work.

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

Ann Patchett is a master at dramatic devices. Choose an example of symbolism, metaphor, and irony. Briefly describe them and identify the technique which they embody.

(see the answer keys)

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