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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 does the Viscountess Montmort discover on her nighttime walk around her property?

2. How is Bruno smoked out of his room?

3. When do the German troops arrive at the Angellier's village?

4. Where does the fish that Benoit presents to Lucile come from?

5. Why is the Viscountess de Montmort holding a meeting with the village women and the farmers' wives?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the nature of the marriage between Lucile and Gaston Angellier?

2. How does Madame Angellier feel about her daughter-in-law, Lucile?

3. What is the atmosphere on the farm where Jean-Marie Michaud is staying?

4. What does Benoit come to the Angellier house to ask and why? What is the response to his favor?

5. What factors in to Lucile Angellier's decision to ultimately reject Bruno von Falk?

6. How does Charlotte Pericand react when she sees Hubert and realizes that he is not dead?

7. What happens to Madame Angellier as Lucile and Bruno become closer?

8. What happens between the Viscountess de Montmort and Benoit while the Viscountess is out on one of her nighttime walks?

9. What do Gabriel Corte and Florence do when they are shown to their rooms in the luxury hotel?

10. What is the atmosphere of the town as the German's depart for Russia?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Nemirovsky does not launch into extensive descriptions of her characters but rather allows her characters to reveal their own personalities, as well as the relationships they have with other characters. How do the characters in the novel accomplish this? How do we learn about the characters through the action in the novel? What do we learn about the characters through their relationships with other characters? What does this do for the novel?

Essay Topic 2

Although the first and second part of the novel are told in different narrative styles, they do connect with each other. How are the two parts of the novel related? Which characters from the first part are either included or mentioned in the second part of the novel? How do you think the characters from the first part of the novel would have felt about the occupation and how do you think they are reacting to it?

Essay Topic 3

Compare and contrast the couples featured in the novel, namely the Pericands, the Michauds, and Gabriel Corte and Florence, and their relationships. Include answers to some of the following questions: What is their relationship like? What do their relationships with each other teach us about each specific character? How does the war and exodus from Paris affect the couple's relationship?

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