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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. When Laura's dad takes three days off around Christmas and Laura is unable to be alone to use cocaine, what excuse does she finally give so she can be alone?

2. In addition to having more money, what reason does Laura give for wanting to get a job that will pay her every two weeks?

3. What tactic does Laura try in order to get rid of BOB?

4. What behavior does Laura's mom observe that makes her worry about Laura?

5. What does Bobby call Laura's parents?

Short Essay Questions

1. What happens at the Double R Diner on Christmas Eve that makes Laura feel victorious?

2. Discuss the meaning of Laura's poem on page 128 entitled "In the Eyes of the Visitor."

3. What is the significance of the first sentence that Johnny speaks aloud?

4. How does Laura feel after the party at which she won a sexual bet and hung around with people ten years older?

5. How does Laura feel about the way in which she escaped the dangerous situation after being kidnapped by three truckers on the highway?

6. What is Laura's relationship with Johnny?

7. How does Bobby end up shooting a man as Laura, Leo, and Bobby flee the gunfire at the drug dealer's house?

8. How do Bobby and Laura spend New Year's Eve of 1987?

9. What offer does Laura make to BOB in an attempt to make him go away forever?

10. What action does Laura finally take when she is desperate to stop her cocaine withdrawals?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the novel's classification as a work within the bildungsroman genre. What messages is the author sending through her depiction of Laura's psychological and moral growth throughout her formative years? Include concrete details from the novel's diary entries to prove your claims.

Essay Topic 2

Discuss Donna's role as a foil within the novel. How does her character slowly emerge as a foil to Laura's character and what is the author trying to achieve with the juxtaposition of those two characters? Prove your claims with textual evidence from the novel.

Essay Topic 3

Discuss how the theme of appearance versus reality is demonstrated within the novel and state the message the author is sending about this topic. Back up your argumentative points with quotes from the novel.

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