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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What physical characteristic does Leda notice about Nina's husband as she watches them walk on the beach?
(a) A twitch in his eye.
(b) A limp.
(c) A scar on his belly.
(d) A bald spot.

2. How old is Leda at the start of the story?
(a) 57.
(b) 27.
(c) 47.
(d) 37.

3. Why does Leda's youngest daughter say she cannot go to the party she has been invited to when they speak in Chapter 7?
(a) Her hairdresser ruined her hair.
(b) Her ex-boyfriend will be there.
(c) Everyone will think Bianca is prettier.
(d) She has nothing to wear.

4. What secret does Gino tell Leda he knows about Nina?
(a) She is planning on leaving her husband.
(b) She wishes her daughter had never been born.
(c) She wants to complete her university studies.
(d) She hates Rosaria.

5. What does Leda think about Nina when she gets a closer look at her after speaking with the Dutch family?
(a) She looks like her mother.
(b) She is even more beautiful than she thought.
(c) She is not as young or beautiful as she had thought.
(d) She appears depressed.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Leda tell Nina is "blinding" (27) after she found Elena in Chapter 10?

2. What does Leda realize about Gino as they eat and talk in Chapter 13?

3. Who is the young male worker who helps set Leda's space for her on the beach every day?

4. How does Leda feel after speaking with her daughter when she calls after the pinecone incident in Chapter 7?

5. Who told Leda she was “less distracted, more generous” (7) after her children moved?

Short Essay Questions

1. What happened when Leda found Bianca on the balcony with the doll she had given to her?

2. What does Leda think her daughters would do if they saw her walking with Gino? Why?

3. How does Leda decide she will return Elena's doll as she drives back to her apartment at the start of Chapter 11?

4. What did Leda think of Nina when she first saw her on the beach?

5. What does Leda suspect after seeing Giovanni at the bar playing cards with his friends?

6. Which of the Neapolitans is the first to speak directly to Leda in Chapter 7? Describe their interaction.

7. What conversation topic do Gino and Leda settle on while having dinner in Chapter 12? What does Gino know about Nina and her family, which he shares with Leda over dinner?

8. Where is Nina at the start of Chapter 10 and who is she searching for?

9. Who joins the Neapolitans in Chapter 6? How does this impact other bathers on the beach?

10. Why does Leda say that strangers are helpful in situations such as Nina losing Elena on the beach?

(see the answer keys)

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