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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. Who wrote an essay saying the woman of the future will know nothing of mystery or manners?

2. Who is the author that O'Connor says is not a good writer, but his intent should not be judged?

3. How many fundamental truths do Catholic writers live and work in?

4. What family member of O'Connor's reviewed her novel for her high school class?

5. With what does O'Connor say there is a preoccupation in the work of Catholic writers of her time period?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does O'Connor say the Protestant South is a good place for Catholic writers to write?

2. Why might a Catholic novelist feel angst about being both a Catholic and a fiction writer?

3. How does O'Connor respond to those who say that Catholics cannot be artists?

4. Why does O'Connor write powerfully, especially about God?

5. What does O'Connor mean when she says that writers should heed the writings of St. Thomas Aquinas?

6. How does O'Connor respond to the idea that there is a lack of good Catholic writing in America?

7. What does O'Connor say about absolutes in fiction, particularly religious fiction?

8. How did John Hersey defend his book "A Bell for Adano" in a letter to the Georgia state school superintendent?

9. Why is the fiction writer vulnerable to public criticism?

10. Describe the God that O'Connor says she believes in.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Explore the way O'Connor uses her own story about a family of six, "A Good Man Is Hard to Find," to highlight her plea for readers to stop over analyzing her work. What does she say typically happens when the story is read? How would she like readers to read this story? Why do you think she would prefer readers to stop trying to figure this story and her other works out?

Essay Topic 2

Explore O'Connor's obsession with chickens and then peafowl. Discuss how her obsession for birds grows after the photographer comes to visit. Why do you think her obsession follows his visit? What feelings does O'Connor seem to have about the photographer's visit? Consider the fact that he never visits again. A spokesperson from each group should tell the class what the group talked about.

Essay Topic 3

Explore the benefits O'Connor says come from being a Georgia writer. What limitations might be established by calling oneself a Georgia writer? What do you think O'Connor means when she says the limitations are a gateway to reality? How does regionalism relate to reality? What does she say about writers who have a sense of community?

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