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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 haunts Helen Givings?

2. What does Mrs. Givings buy for companionship and to help heal the emotional scars of the Wheelers' tragedy?

3. What does this woman tell Frank about Maureen?

4. What do April and Frank have for the first time in weeks?

5. What reactions do the Wheelers get as they announce they have decided not to move to France?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does April act as John leaves for work?

2. How does Frank react when April does not seem to think that what John said was insane?

3. What does April do with the letter she had written John?

4. How does John act on his way in the car to the Wheelers'?

5. How does John act around the Wheelers?

6. For what does Pollock praise Frank?

7. What does Norma tell Frank?

8. What does Frank realize about the hotel where Bart Pollock takes him to lunch?

9. How does Jennifer feel about moving to Europe?

10. What do the Campbells and Wheelers do when they are bored with each other's company?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Helen Givings becomes a touchstone for measuring the depth of frustration and unhappiness that awaits American suburbanites in the 1950s.

Part 1) How is this statement correct?

Part 2) How does this contrast with the stereotypical suburban housewife and home in the 1950s?

Part 3) Why does this disparity exist between real life in the 1950s and the stereotypical 1950s life?

Essay Topic 2

Frank feels conflicting feelings about his work.

Part 1) Where does Frank work? Why does he have conflicting feelings about his work?

Part 2) How is the plan to move to France affecting him at work? Why does it affect him this way?

Part 3) How does his view of his work situation change over the course of the book? Why do these changes occur?

Essay Topic 3

John speaks the truth.

Part 1) How does John's insanity affect his behavior? How does his behavior affect the others? Why?

Part 2) Do his actions and words reveal him to be insane? Why or why not?

Part 3) What would the world be like if more people spoke the truth, like John?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 936 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample