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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. In what city did the unnamed narrator commit adultery as a means to end her marriage to John?

2. What job did the unnamed narrator tell the other women belonged to the man with whom she had had an affair?

3. On what day of the week does the section entitled Santa Barbara, 2016 take place?

4. The unnamed narrator walked out to her car with which character after the gathering of mothers had concluded?

5. The man at the hotel told the unnamed narrator that when a woman takes what action, he knows that he must untie her and allow her to leave?

Short Essay Questions

1. In what way does Popkey suggest that the reader unpack their own reactions to the life events of the woman in Santa Barbara?

2. How does the unnamed narrator describe the fertility problems she and John experienced during their marriage?

3. What tactics did the unnamed narrator use to help herself summon enthusiasm about pursuing a pregnancy with John?

4. In what way does the unnamed narrator find her previous view of intimacy problematic?

5. What three feelings does the unnamed narrator recall feeling when John expressed interest in marriage counseling?

6. Discuss an element of the unnamed narrator's writing voice that shares qualities with her speaking voice.

7. For what reason did the unnamed narrator make several attempts to commit adultery before she was successful?

8. Discuss at least one negative coping mechanism that the unnamed narrator uses once she has gotten sober.

9. How did the unnamed narrator always feel about the prospect of having a baby?

10. How does the unnamed narrator answer her own question about why people confide in her?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Trace the characterization arc of the unnamed narrator's character throughout the novel Topics of Conversation. Discuss whether she is a round or flat character and whether she is a static or dynamic character.

Essay Topic 2

Analyze the interplay between the final passages in Topics of Conversation and one of the novel's main messages. How does Popkey make connections between these elements and how does their juxtaposition help them get across one main message of the novel?

Essay Topic 3

William Faulkner once famously claimed that the most important literature deals with the subject of the human heart in conflict with itself. Explain how the theme of Human versus Self is demonstrated within Popkey’s novel Topics of Conversation. Create a decisive, arguable claim and prove it with quotes from the novel.

(see the answer keys)

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