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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 Marina suspect might be Van's reason for leaving?

2. What is the "lolita" that Ada wears?

3. What does Marina have in her screwdrivers instead of orange juice?

4. On his way to catch the train to Luga, Mayne, to resume school, what excuse does Van make to stop the car to meet Ada?

5. Why does Phillip Rack come upstairs, interrupting Ada and Van?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Ada act when she tells stories at the table?

2. How does Van feel about Cordula?

3. What do Demon think of Marina's career as an actress?

4. What did Ada do when Dr. Krolik died?

5. What does Ada have to do before she can go off and meet Van in private in Chapter 20?

6. What are the circumstances of Marina's first romantic liaison with Demon?

7. What reason does Van give Marina for leaving?

8. What becomes of Ada's old governess?

9. What bad habit does Ana stop on her twelfth birthday?

10. How does Aqua kill herself?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The central story of the novel is focused on the incestuous relationship between Ada and Van. Discuss incest in the novel.

1) What are Van and Ada's attitudes toward incest? The implication is that even as children, they know they are brother and sister. Do they hide this knowledge from themselves? Do they accept it?

2) Why do Ada and Van change their mind about living together when Demon finds out? Are their self-perceptions changed by Demon's admission of their relationship as siblings? Are their actions driven by Demon's open knowledge of the secret? What are the societal attitudes involved?

3) Why does Van tell Lucette he doesn't want another incestuous relationship with her? What is different about a relationship with Lucette, as opposed to any other unrelated woman?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss Van as a character.

1) What drives Van's attraction to Ada? Why does he carry his obsession with her through long absences?

2) What is Van's perception of women? How does he treat them, and what role do they play in his life?

3) What is Van's perception of himself? How is he a "vain Veen"?

4) Discuss Van's work as a writer and psychologist. Why does he choose this work? Why does he write the books he writes, and what contributes to his philosophy?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the relationships between parents and children in the novel.

1) How does Van relate to Aqua? How does he relate to Demon? How does he relate to Marina? What does he get from each of these parental figures, and how do they affect him?

2) How does Marina relate to Ada and Lucette? How does she influence them? Compare her influence to the influence of the governess.

3) What influence does Dan have as a parent? How do Lucette and Ada relate to him?

(see the answer keys)

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