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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. How long does it take Helene to get a reply from Marks & Co. to her first letter?

2. How does Frank sign off in most his letters to Helene?

3. Helene describes herself to Cecily as being about as smart looking as a________________.

4. Where did Helene see the ad for Marks & Co., prompting her to write them?

5. How much meat does Helene discover the Londoners are rationed per family in 1949?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Frank credit the increase in tourism to in 1965?

2. Why does Cecily write to tell Helene that no Christmas package will be necessary in 1953?

3. Why does Helene joke with Frank about the British occupation of New York from 1776 through 1783?

4. How does Cecily describe Frank in her letter to Helene?

5. What is Helene's response to Frank inquiring if she would like a first edition of Newman's Idea of a University?

6. What doesn't Helene like about the New Testaments sent to her by Marks & Co?

7. What kind of books of poems does Helene request from Marks & Co. in her March 25, 1950 letter?

8. What does Helene complain about in her letter to Frank in January 1958?

9. How does Helene describe herself in her letter to Cecily?

10. What does Helene apologize to the London booksellers for on behalf of America?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Are Frank and Helene opposites or just two sides of the same coin? Explain your answer using specific events in the book to compare/contrast Frank and Helene.

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the unspoken stories that lie beneath the surface of the letters, which encompass so many people over so many years.

Essay Topic 3

What does Helene mean when she says she developed her "peculiar taste in books" from a Cambridge professor? Do you think she actually met this person in the library or "fell over" his book? Do you think she means literally "fell over" or metaphorically?

(see the answer keys)

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