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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. At what age did Connell's mother get pregnant with Connell?

2. What comment of Marianne's does Connell keep repeating over and over in his head?

3. For whose family does Connell's mother work?

4. Connell will remain connected to his current social group if he chooses a college in what location?

5. What subject is taught by the teacher who flirts with Connell?

Short Essay Questions

1. When the reader joins Connell in the fall of his first year of college, to what changes has he had to adapt?

2. What are the conditions under which Connell tells Marianne that he loves her?

3. Characterize Marianne's view of high school.

4. What plan had Connell had in place for when he encountered Marianne again and what is its result?

5. How is the theme of self-deception demonstrated within the novel?

6. Describe the relationship between Marianne and her brother Alan.

7. What is one theme present within the epigraph of Normal People?

8. Who is Miss Neary?

9. What does Marianne say just before Connell kisses her for the first time?

10. What event occurs just prior to Marianne's decision to quit high school?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How is the topic of communication treated within Normal People and how does its treatment relate to the novel's depicted messages?

Essay Topic 2

Analyze the novel Normal People from an Existential perspective. What elements of life does it suggest hold the most meaning and why?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the instances of irony within the narrative of Normal People and analyze Rooney’s purpose for including each instance you discuss.

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