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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. How often did Ann hear from Lucy in Chapter 17?

2. When Lucy lost her apartment, to what city did she move?

3. Where did Ann take the man she dates to meet Lucy in 1994?

4. After she was released from the hospital, what did Lucy lie to Ann about when she called?

5. What name did Ann use to refer to Lucy?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe Lucy's health in Chapter 15.

2. What was Lucy's pattern of happiness and depression?

3. What did Karl, Ann's boyfriend, say that he could help Lucy attain with her health issues?

4. What kind of help did Lucy seek for her addictions, and how did she lie about what she was really doing?

5. In reality, what were Karl and others not able to help Lucy with regarding her health issues?

6. What was the final defeat in Lucy's struggle to have her face reconstructed?

7. Even though she had career success, Lucy felt that romantic love was missing in her life. What did she do to try to remedy that situation?

8. What was the content of Ann and Lucy's last phone conversation?

9. What was Ann's experience with hives and how did it let her appreciate Lucy's struggles even more?

10. What name did Ann and Lucy come up with to describe their bad times with Lucy's addictions and suicide attempts?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss Ann Patchett's writing style. How is she different from other writers of her time? What are some of her characteristic writing techniques? Identify some examples of her classic style in TRUTH & BEAUTY.

Essay Topic 2

The author uses more than one iteration on the theme of disappointment. Identify at least two characters who either embody or experience disappointment. Then cite an example to support your answers.

Essay Topic 3

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.

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