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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. Who are the servants at Ralph's house?

2. Why did Ralph's father send him a large amount of money in Italy?

3. In what year does the novel begin?

4. What day does Ralph choose to marry Catherine?

5. What is Ralph's condition when they arrive home?

Short Essay Questions

1. What lie does Catherine tell about about her father as she is tending to Ralph's head wound?

2. What is the one expectation that Truitt has of Catherine by sending her to St. Louis?

3. What is the significance of Truitt's mother stabbing him with a needle and then the resulting scar that reminds him of the act?

4. What tragedy did Ralph suffer twenty years ago and why does he try to maintain his composure at the train station?

5. What internal conflict does a youthful Truitt experience during his days of debauchery in Europe?

6. What role does deception play in the relationship between Catherine and Truitt?

7. What are some of Truitt's thoughts during his delirium, especially related to his domineering mother and his own youthful thoughts of lust?

8. Describe the scenario where Catherine observes Antonio in the restaurant.

9. What does Truitt tell Catherine about his life with Emilia and the house he built for her?

10. What are Truitt's thoughts about Antonio even though he and the boy hated each other years ago?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Create a brief character study of Catherine. What does she look like? What are her positive personality traits? What are some of her negative characteristics? What are her hopes and fears? What motivates her--if anything--at this point in her life?

Essay Topic 2

Explain the concept of loneliness as it exhibits in the story. Which of the characters are lonely? Are they all lonely in some way? Explain the loneliness and the methods and attempts to overcome it.

Essay Topic 3

Greed takes on a human persona in this story especially surrounding the characters of Catherine and Antonio. What is this literary technique called? Cite examples that support this position.

(see the answer keys)

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