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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. Whom did Ann meet in New York that promised to help her and her writing friends succeed?

2. Why did Ann phone Lucy from Yaddo all the time?

3. Where did Lucy once pretend to be for days?

4. In Provincetown, Lucy fell in love for the first time with a ________________.

5. What did Ann and Lucy do to find their way out of their miserable lives?

Short Essay Questions

1. How could Ann's love for Lucy have been called unconditional?

2. By what standard did Ann measure success in her life?

3. What were the circumstances of Lucy's disfigured face?

4. Who was Elizabeth McCracken and how did Ann meet her?

5. With whom did Lucy fall in love in Provincetown, and how did he affect her life?

6. Why was Ann Patchett looking for an apartment in Iowa City, Iowa, in 1985?

7. What were Lucy's accommodations at Yaddo, and what was the only negative of the experience?

8. Describe an event in which Lucy was bullied in Scotland.

9. Why did Lucy have an obsession with the Holocaust?

10. How did Ann come to know Lucy Grealy, and what circumstances made them roommates in Iowa?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Explain the significance of the book's title. Why does the author call it simply TRUTH & BEAUTY? What was she trying to emphasize with this emphatic style? Suggest three alternate titles for this book with supporting rationale for each.

Essay Topic 2

Explain the dynamic of Ann and Lucy's friendship. How did it evolve over time? Which role did Ann play? Which role did Lucy play? Did they ever challenge their respective roles? Or, were they content knowing who they were and what they each brought to the relationship?

Essay Topic 3

Describe the overall setting and time period for Ann and Lucy's friendship? What were some of the places they shared? What were some places that they experienced separately? How important are the time period and settings to the attitudes and issues of Ann and Lucy?

(see the answer keys)

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