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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 old are the Canadian males with whom 13-year-old Laura and Donna bathe in the forest stream?

2. What is NOT one false thing Laura tells the reader that people say about her?

3. How does Laura feel after her foray into the woods with the Canadians and with Donna?

4. What action does Laura take when she first meets her new pony that shocks Laura's mom?

5. When Laura's dad takes her to a mystery location on her birthday, where do they end up going?

Short Essay Questions

1. What do stuffed animals symbolize within the first diary entry?

2. What does Donna do when Laura runs out of the house when they are discussing the breakdown of their friendship?

3. What does Laura say about why she loves her new diary?

4. Discuss the meaning of the very first poem Laura writes within her diary on July 29, 1984.

5. What reason does Laura give for feeling sorry for Audrey Horne?

6. What method does Laura decide to use in order to drive BOB away and stop the sexual abuse he is inflicting on her?

7. When Donna leaves the fort to go to the bathroom, Maddy uses the opportunity to tell Laura something. How do her comments depict the novel's theme of prophecy?

8. What does Laura say about her feelings after the escapade with the Canadian guys in the woods?

9. What had Donna's and Laura's experience with alcohol been prior to their escapade into the woods with the three Canadian guys and the bottle of gin?

10. How does Laura feel when she tries smoking for the first time?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write a persuasive essay that argues either for or against the use of The Secret Diary of Laura Palmer in high school classrooms. Support your argument using logical reasoning, poignant examples of modern teenage life, and concrete details from the novel's narrative.

Essay Topic 2

Explicate the novel's use of the theme of appearance versus reality. Create a claim that states the author's message regarding this theme. Use specific scenes from the novel to support your claim.

Essay Topic 3

Most scholars agree that confessional writing that gives voice to female characters can serve many different purposes. It can show off, it can entertain, it can satisfy the desire for voyeurism, it can absolve, it can shock, and it can make visible women's interior lives and social issues that need to be addressed. What is the main purpose of Lynch's The Secret Diary of Laura Palmer and is it in keeping with how the main audience views the novel's purpose? Back up your points using concrete details from the novel.

(see the answer keys)

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