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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 new thing does Joan try in Chapter 10?

2. What kind of dreams does Joan have of her mother?

3. What pet is Joan allowed to have?

4. In Chapter 2, how does Joan get rid of the hair she cuts off?

5. What is the relationship between Arthur and Joan?

Short Essay Questions

1. What are some similarities between Joan and her character Charlotte?

2. Why does Joan like to go to the movies with her Aunt Lou?

3. How does Joan change after becoming willing to publish Lady Oracle under her own name?

4. Why does Joan want to start a new life?

5. Describe Joan Foster's state of mind in Chapter 1.

6. How does Joan allow Paul to treat her?

7. Describe Joan's approach to meeting Paul and having a relationship with him.

8. Why does Joan find it difficult to write when Arthur is depressed?

9. Why is discovering that Paul writes romance novels valuable to Joan's life?

10. What are the implications of Joan sending Arthur a postcard from Rome?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What is the significance of the title Lady Oracle? Provide examples from the text that show how the idea of an oracle is presented and its relevance to Joan and her journey of self-acceptance.

Essay Topic 2

Joan understands that she is an "escape artist" and that she is happiest when she is in danger. Discuss several instances in the novel when Joan is at her best when in danger. How does her personality change?

Essay Topic 3

Lady Oracle was published in 1976. How does Joan's life as a woman reflect the attitudes of that time? Compare her life as a wife to her life as a romance novelist. Which allows her to move beyond traditional roles? Do you think she is a character who is ahead of her time?

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