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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 type of lifestyle did Flannery have?

2. In the first letter of this section, Flannery writes that she and Maryat are both _______________.

3. What has Flannery's illness forced her to do?

4. What does Flannery tell "A" is "A's" only character flaw?

5. Who wins the National Book Award in this section?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the nature of the book on which Flannery plans to focus this year?

2. How does Flannery describe a teaching assignment to Cecil?

3. What is Flannery's perspective on helping other writers?

4. How does Sally Fitzgerald's being a friend of Flannery's enriched the experience of the letters for the reader?

5. To which person does Flannery write both the first and last letters in this section?

6. What does Flannery write regarding faith and skepticism to Alfred Corn?

7. What is unusual about Flannery's friend, Louise's, visit to a doctor for the flu?

8. What has become evident about the information Flannery shares with her different friends?

9. What outstanding quality emerges when looking at the length of time span for the letters?

10. What is the title of this Part and why is it significant?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Sadness takes on an almost human persona in these letters. Why did O'Connor's letters have a hint of sadness? What is this literary technique called? Cite examples that support this position.

Essay Topic 2

A thread of isolation is an important one in Flannery's letters. How was Flannery isolated as a child? How is a writer's life one of solitude and isolation? How is Flannery's personal life also very isolated? Does she choose some of the distancing she experiences or is isolation inherent in a writer's complete life? Explain.

Essay Topic 3

From what you can glean from Flannery's letters, create a brief character study of Flannery's mother. What does she look like? What are her positive personality traits? What are some of her negative characteristics? What are her hopes and fears? What motivates her in her daily life? What hopes does she have for her daughter?

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