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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. Ralph tells Catherine that Antonio reminds him of whom?

2. Who does Catherine hire in Chicago to work in the Italian house?

3. What does Ralph bring home to surprise Catherine one night?

4. What food was shipped in to the farm from Chicago because Ralph craved it?

5. Which of the following is NOT something Antonio acquires while living at the Italian house?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Truitt allow Catherine to poison him?

2. How does a nightly glass of water symbolize Mrs. Larsen as a mother figure?

3. What do Truitt's open arms toward Antonio symbolize for Truitt and the other characters?

4. What did Truitt discover when he went to Chicago one last time to try to help Emilia and why does he think he finally abandoned her?

5. What does Catherine do to show that she is no longer trying to poison Truitt and is going to help him heal?

6. What does Antonio threaten to do if Catherine doesn't carry through on her promise to kill Truitt?

7. In what way are Truitt and Antonio similar in the way they use sex?

8. What had been Truitt's experience with arsenic when he was a younger man?

9. Why does Antonio delight in telling Catherine about where Alice is?

10. What does Truitt do regarding his business as his health rapidly deteriorates?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How does Catherine compare to the wife Truitt thought he was getting as a mail order bride? Is he happy that Catherine turned out to be who she was or does Ralph still wish for the meek, ordinary woman in the photograph?

Essay Topic 2

The author uses more than one instance of irony in the book. Cite at least two examples you can identify in the novel and note why they are examples of irony.

Essay Topic 3

Why did Truitt decide to keep Catherine in spite of the fact that she misrepresented herself? Why did Truitt allow his relationship with Catherine to begin with a lie? What do Truitt's decisions say about his character?

(see the answer keys)

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