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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. Rather than relying upon his memory of his wife, what does the author want?

2. How long does the author think his suffering will last?

3. How will the author respond to being told the consolations of religion?

4. At the end of Chapter Two, what does the author think about his reflections?

5. What kind of character did the author's wife have?

Short Essay Questions

1. What impresses Lewis about his realization of the man he had not seen for 10 years and Lewis's actual memories of the man?

2. What do consoling people tell Lewis about where H. is after her death? How does Lewis interpret these attempts to console him?

3. Lewis begins to ask a question that becomes central to his reflections. What "disquieting symptom" introduces itself to Lewis in Chapter One?

4. How does Lewis try to convince himself that he does not mind H.'s death? Provide examples of the things that Lewis tells himself.

5. What aspects of religion is Lewis glad to discuss? What aspect of religion is Lewis not willing to accept?

6. Why is Lewis "appalled" when he read what he has written in the first chapter?

7. Why can Lewis not talk to his children about their mother?

8. What is it about cancer that prompts some of Lewis' reflections?

9. Does Lewis have trouble believing that God exists? Explain.

10. Describe some people whom Lewis thinks are having negative reactions to Lewis and his grief?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Cancer plays a large role in Lewis's pain. He gives the disease its due in his reflections and, as is true of his later reflections, Lewis is interested in the disease itself as compared to the disease's demands. Discuss Lewis's thoughts on cancer, as he reflects on the disease throughout the book. Consider questions such as: How does Lewis describe the difference between the reality that is cancer and the ways in which one must meet cancer's increasing demands? How does Lewis describe what people actually encounter about cancer? What does cancer "look like" in day-to-day, minute-by-minute terms?

Essay Topic 2

Select three reflections that either resonated with your beliefs or that you had trouble comprehending or believing. Reflect on each one. Be precise when you refer to the selected reflections. Explain what captured your attention about each reflection. Discuss how each reflection might affect you. Also describe how or how not, the book as a whole might have meaning in your life.

Essay Topic 3

Lewis begins to ponder H. and the possibility of her continuing existence. In the beginning of his reflections, Lewis discovers that H. has become inaccessible in different ways. Needless to say, this causes him great disturbance. Discuss what sets off Lewis's thoughts about H. and where or if she "is." What does Lewis discover is different in her case than was true for all others whom he had known who had died? What related issue does Lewis's trouble regarding H. introduce? This topic is one that runs through the book and is more central than Lewis's difficulties about H. What does Lewis finally determine is the distinction between the others who had died and H.?

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