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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 keeps Esther and Doreen from attending the magazine party?

2. What does the Ladies' Day magazine staff send to the girls as gifts?

3. Why is Esther living in New York City in the summer of 1953?

4. Which of the following does NOT adorn the waiting room at the sanatorium?

5. Why has a medical student been assigned to deliver the woman's baby on the day Esther and Buddy visit the hospital?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who is Mrs. Ockenden?

2. What does Esther think makes her a neurotic?

3. Describe the article that Esther's mother gives her from Reader's Digest ("In Defense of Chastity").

4. What is Esther's opinion of Betsy?

5. Describe the birth scene that Esther and Buddy witness from Esther's point of view

6. Describe the Amazon.

7. Why does Marco attack Esther?

8. What news does Mrs. Greenwood deliver to Esther when she picks her up from the train station? How does Esther react?

9. Why is Esther so enamored with the rich foods she is served at the Ladies' Day luncheon?

10. Compare Constantin and Buddy.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

This novel deals with the relationship between talent and mental stability. In your essay:

1) discuss how this relationship plays out in Esther and the other characters

2) state what you think Plath is saying about this relationship

3) comment on Plath's ideas. Is she right? Why or why not?

Cite several specific examples from the novel to support your ideas.

Essay Topic 2

Esther's family live has a subtle but important effect on the changes that she undergoes throughout the novel. Discuss:

1) Esther's family dynamics

2) the impact of Esther's family life on her personal life

3) how Esther's life would have been different if both of her parents had been alive.

Cite several specific examples from the novel to support your ideas.

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the significance of the novel's title. Be sure to include:

1) a definition of "bell jar"

2) the relationship between the bell jar and Esther

3) what the bell jar represents about Esther's character.

Cite several specific examples from the novel to support your ideas.

(see the answer keys)

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