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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. Where does Marina have breakfast?

2. 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?

3. Why does Ada want to give Lucette a bath?

4. Who is Van's first sexual experience with?

5. Where does Percy de Prey ask Van to meet him?

Short Essay Questions

1. What becomes of Ada's old governess?

2. How does Lucette want to draw flowers, when her sister is trying to teach her to draw?

3. What does Marina chastise Van for, after calling him into her room?

4. How does Dick cheat at cards, and how does Van best him?

5. How does Van first see Ada?

6. What causes Lucette to follow Ada and Van around in Chapter 34?

7. What is the first trick Ada and Van use to escape from Lucette?

8. How does young Van feel about Ada?

9. How does Aqua kill herself?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Van has a privileged life. Discuss privilege in the novel.

1) What freedoms does Van's wealth and status allow him? How would his life be different if he weren't wealthy?

2) How is it significant that Van has an independent inheritance from Aqua and is not dependent on Demon for money?

3) What is Van's perception of his position of privilege, and how does this perception change throughout his life, from youth to old age?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the mental and physical worlds in the novel.

1) How does the mental world of Van's intellectual investigations and books relate to the physical world around him?

2) How does Van's mental relationship with Ada relate to their physical relationship?

3) How does the balance of mind and body, mental and physical change over time, as Van ages?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss madness in the novel.

1) What is Aqua's madness in the novel? Why does she go from sanitarium to sanitarium, and why does she kill herself?

2) What types of madness do Van's patients display? Why do mad patients see visions of Terra in the novel?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 746 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample