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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 Italian custom does Robert engage in while walking through the street with Colin?

2. Why does Mary repeat the story about the photograph to Colin while they are eating breakfast?

3. What does Robert say he and Caroline have been doing since they last saw Colin and Mary?

4. How do Mary and Colin act towards one another as they approach their destination?

5. Why does Colin insist on leaving the apartment with Mary?

Short Essay Questions

1. According to Robert, how do the roles of men and women differ now from the time when his father was alive?

2. How do Mary and Colin's conversations compare to their lovemaking?

3. Describe the interactions between Mary and Colin while they ride the river taxi. How are these different than their earlier encounters?

4. How does Colin's experience with Robert at the bar compare to Mary's experience with Caroline in the apartment?

5. Describe the scene when Mary awakens with a shout in the middle of the night.

6. What does Mary intend to do when she goes to the morgue? What does she do instead?

7. Describe the evolution of the sexual dynamics between Robert and Caroline.

8. Describe Mary and Colin's routine for the days following their visit to Robert and Caroline's apartment.

9. How does Mary's reaction to Robert's photograph differ from Colin's?

10. Why does Robert hold Colin's hand as they walk to the bar? What does he tell people about their relationship?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Compare and contrast the two main settings of the novel: Robert and Caroline's apartment and Mary and Colin's hotel room. Focus on:

1) the characteristics of the settings

2) the influence that the setting asserts on the plot of the novel

3) the ways that the setting reflects the characters "living" in it.

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

Essay Topic 2

Compare and contrast the men and women in this novel. How are the female characters similar/different? How are the male characters similar/different? Then discuss why you think the author presents this variety of male and female characters in the novel. Be sure to cite specific evidence from the novel to support your ideas.

Essay Topic 3

One of the themes The Comfort of Strangers explores is sexuality. Discuss what the novel has to say about this theme. Cite several specific examples from the novel to support your ideas.

(see the answer keys)

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