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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. What does Catherine do with the arsenic?

2. Which of the following is NOT something Ralph has a profound fear of?

3. Who is the sister Catherine searches for while in St. Louis?

4. How did Catherine earn money to take care of herself and Alice?

5. How does Ralph know he is being poisoned?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Truitt allow Catherine to poison him?

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

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

4. What is the significance of Catherine's clothing in the story?

5. How does Truitt think Antonio is just like himself at that age?

6. How can the phrase, "Such things happened" be interpreted as it relates to Alice's dismal life?

7. What happens between Antonio (Manetti) and Catherine when she finally goes to his apartment?

8. What image does Catherine see float down toward Alice and what does Catherine realize about her own life from this point on?

9. 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?

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

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

Describe the Larsens. What are their roles in the story? What was the author trying to accomplish by creating the Larsens in the story?

Essay Topic 3

A RELIABLE WIFE is a classic story of good vs. evil. What does that classification entail? Why does this story fit into this category? Explain.

(see the answer keys)

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