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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 musician is Mia said to be obsessed with in Chapter 1?

2. What is the name of Casey's landlord?

3. Who is the head chef for dinner at Iris that is described as even-tempered?

4. Who is the pastry chef at Iris?

5. What month arrives at the beginning of Chapter 9?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Casey live where she lives? How did she get there?

2. From what narrative perspective is the story related? Why is this important?

3. Who is Oscar Kolton and how does Casey first meet him?

4. How does the theme of health insurance arise in the novel?

5. Where does Casey work? How does she feel about her job?

6. What backstory is established for Casey in the opening of the novel?

7. How does Casey respond to Silas's messages in Chapter 19?

8. Why does Oscar come back to speak to Casey after his brunch in Chapter 15? What happens in this encounter?

9. What led to Casey's heartbreak over Luke?

10. Why does John approach Casey away from his table when his family goes to brunch at Iris in Chapter 15?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss Casey's history with her mother and father. How does she describe her childhood? When did her mother leave the family and where did she go? Why did she return, and how did Casey respond? What led to Casey's resentment and eventual estrangement from her father?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss Casey's approach to literary education. What does Casey say about studying structure, conflict, themes, etc. when interviewing at the school? How are those approaches contested by the administrators? What are your views on this topic?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss three examples of foreshadowing and/or red herrings in Writers & Lovers. What clues does the author give for later events in the story? How do these clues play out? What clues did you miss until the novel's ending?

(see the answer keys)

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