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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. Jude's very first home was in what type of location?

2. In addition to earning a law degree, Jude earns a degree in what other field?

3. What was the first thing Jude ever stole?

4. For what type of creature does Jude search in the creek?

5. Whose parents own a house on Martha's Vineyard?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does the theme of deception enter the narrative within the friendship between Willem and Jude?

2. What do the coupons in the novel symbolize?

3. How does Yanigihara want the reader to view Jude's decision to keep his past a secret and how do you know?

4. In what way does the narration of Part I: Lispenard Street differ from the narration of Part II: The Postman?

5. What happens to necessitate the use of the fire escape?

6. What two elements of Willem's life in Wyoming does he miss?

7. In what ways does Jude feel out-of-step with the rest of his peers' experiences?

8. In what way is the theme of acquiescence included in the first part of A Little Life?

9. Discuss the socioeconomic gaps present among the group of four friends: Malcolm, JB, Willem, and Jude.

10. Who is JB and how does he enter the story?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Look carefully at the passages of A Little Life that describe the close relationship between Willem and Jude. What is Yanagihara’s purpose for discussing at length the nature of the connection between Jude and Willem?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss Yanagihara’s use of metaphor, simile, imagery, and other literary devices as a means to send particular thematic messages within the narrative of A Little Life.

Essay Topic 3

How does the motif of dreams appear within A Little Life and how does its treatment relate to the novel's depicted messages?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,200 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample