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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. Who closes Vivian's eyes after she is given her initial dose of morphine?

2. What question is Vivian asked every year by a student?

3. What does Jason say Donne makes Shakespeare sound like?

4. What time of day was it when Vivian got Susie to come in her room at the opening of Scene 13?

5. What course does Jason think is a colossal waste of time for researchers?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the joke that makes Vivian laugh when Susie gives her morphine?

2. Why is Vivian so upset at her imaginary lecture being interrupted by Susie?

3. What is the significance of Vivian surviving eight cycles of chemotherapy at the full dosage?

4. Why does Susie tell Vivian that she and Jason are inserting a catheter even though she can't hear Susie?

5. Why does Vivian think of herself as “just the specimen jar?”

6. What are the three points Vivian emphasizes in Donne's poem during her imaginary lecture?

7. Explain Vivian's reaction to hearing two students mock her after class.

8. What is the parallel between Vivian and Jason's careers?

9. Why does Vivian feel her recitation of Donne is “wrong” in her last coherent lines?

10. What is the irony in Vivian's desire for personal contact with Jason?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Define irony. Give at least two examples of irony in Wit. What types of irony are each of these examples? How do you know these instances are ironic? What do these instances of irony do to the story?

Essay Topic 2

Explain the parallel between Vivian's study of Donne and her battle with cancer. How does the study of Donne complement Vivian's illness? Why is cancer more difficult for Vivian than the study of Donne? What does this parallel reveal about Vivian's character?

Essay Topic 3

Explain Vivian's relationship with words. How did words become important to her? Why are words important to her? How does Vivian use her relationship with words during her struggle with cancer? Do words help or hinder her during her treatment?

(see the answer keys)

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