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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. Where does Giovanna's family go on vacation with Angela's and Ida's family?

2. Who is Rosa the son of?

3. What is different about the way Vittoria usually speaks that Giovanna is not used to?

4. What had Vittoria wanted to do as a career that she says Andrea looked down upon?

5. What does Giovanna begin wearing that belongs to her mother in Part I?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Vittoria implore Giovanna to do regarding her parents in Part II?

2. What do Andrea's siblings seem to think of Andrea when Vittoria takes Giovanna to meet them?

3. What does Vittoria tell Giovanna about herself and Enzo that enthralls Giovanna?

4. Why is Giovanna so interested in her Aunt Vittoria in Part I?

5. What kind of relationship does Vittoria have with Enzo's widow and children?

6. What is one major source of tension between Giovanna and her parents in Part I?

7. What does Giovanna think of Vittoria's neighborhood the first time she goes to visit?

8. What does Giovanna witness between her mother, Nella, and Mariano one night that shocks her in Part II?

9. How do Giovanna's parents react when she says she wants to meet Vittoria?

10. How does Giovanna feel about Vittoria after their first meeting?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How does Giovanna feel about her father, Andrea, as the novel begins? Why do you think Giovanna is so stung by Andrea's comment that she is beginning to resemble his estranged sister Vittoria? Write an essay explaining your answers.

Essay Topic 2

Why does Vittoria's graphic descriptions of her sexual encounters with Enzo make such a significant impression on Giovanna? Write an essay explaining your answers.

Essay Topic 3

What does Giovanna's impulsive decision to tell Vittoria about observing a possibly flirtatious moment between her mother and Mariano bring about in terms of plot action in this novel? Write an essay explaining your answers.

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