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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 trick does Elaine begin using to get out of situations she doesn't like?

2. Does Elaine like memorizing psalms for Sunday School?

3. Who offered Elaine a place to stay in Toronto?

4. What does Elaine notice about the boys and girls at Tortonto's shopping centers?

5. Does Elaine know the Santa Claus in the parade is not the real Santa?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe how Elaine and Cordelia are different in biology class.

2. Why do Jon and Elaine get married?

3. How does the narrator seem to feel about Cordelia during the first chapter of the novel?

4. How does Elaine feel when she sees her old school doesn't exist anymore?

5. What does the narrator think happens to things that are past?

6. In the last chapter, what does Elaine realize about the day she fell into the ravine?

7. How does Elaine feel about boys in eleventh grade?

8. How does Elaine feel when she attributes her feelings to Cordelia, instead of to herself?

9. What makes Elaine feel out of place when she first goes to the art exhibit?

10. How does Elaine's mother greet her after she comes out of the cold water?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the portrayal of men in the book.

1) How are Elaine's lovers, Josef, Jon, and Ben, portrayed in the book? What is Elaine's attitude toward her lovers?

2) How do Elaine's relationships with men differ from her relationships with women? Why is Elaine more comfortable with men than with women?

3) How is Elaine's father portrayed in the book? How is her brother portrayed? How do her relationships with her father and brother affect her relationships with other men?

Essay Topic 2

The novel is full of imagery of sight, sound, and smell. Discuss the use of imagery in the book.

1) How does Elaine describe the city of Toronto? How do Elaine's descriptions reflect her feelings?

2) How does the imagery of Elaine's paintings relate to the novel and Elaine's life?

3) What imagery is associated with different periods in Elaine's life?

4) Discuss the imagery of blood in the novel. What does the blood from Elaine's self-mutilation symbolize? What about the blood of miscarriages, suicides, and the botched abortion?

Essay Topic 3

Describe the culture of women in the book.

1) How does Elaine perceive other girls when she is young, before she has girl friends, and what is her perception of her first girl friends?

2) How does the culture of women in the book differ from the culture of men? How is Elaine a different person with women than with men?

3) How does Elaine interact with women as an adult, and how does this relate to her early experiences with other girls?

(see the answer keys)

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