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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What was the name of Bruce Bechdel's brother?
(a) Tim.
(b) Ed.
(c) Jack.
(d) Roger.

2. Where was Bruce Bechdel when he died?
(a) The funeral home.
(b) His mother's house.
(c) Route 150.
(d) Route 80.

3. Who is the babysitter that Alison Bechdel's mother described her father having an affair with during their phone call in Chapter 3?
(a) Roy.
(b) Roger.
(c) Jack.
(d) James.

4. Who is the "cultured, dissipated, and penniless European art collector" that the heroine marries in The Portrait of a Lady?
(a) James Fletcher.
(b) Morris Townsend.
(c) William Anderson.
(d) Gilbet Osmond.

5. The title of Chapter 3, ""That Old Catastrophe," is an allusion to what poem by Wallace Stevens?
(a) "Odysseus."
(b) "A Nail in the Coffin."
(c) "Two Roads Diverged."
(d) "Sunday Morning."

Short Answer Questions

1. How long prior to his death did Bruce Bechdel's wife ask him for a divorce?

2. What is the name of the author's youngest brother?

3. How does the author describe Joan after their meeting in Chapter 3?

4. Who is the author of the novel Maurice that is alluded to in Chapter 3?

5. How long before her father's death did Bechdel come out to her parents as gay?

Short Essay Questions

1. What symbolism does the author relate to the obelisk in Chapter 2?

2. What symbolism is related to the Swiss Army knife that appears in Chapter 3?

3. How affectionate does the author describe her family when growing up?

4. What literary allusions does the author make in describing her mother in Chapter 3?

5. How does the author compare herself with her father in Chapter 1?

6. How does the author describe her family's trip to Europe in Chapter 3?

7. How and why does the author allude to It's a Wonderful Life in Chapter 1?

8. What literary allusion is tied to lilacs in Chapter 4?

9. How does the author describe her impressions of her father's death in Chapter 2?

10. How does the author describe her father's profession and obsessions in Chapter 1?

(see the answer keys)

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