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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. Why does Demon not want to turn Van over to the authorities for incest?

2. What occurs as Van enters the hotel to meet Ada?

3. What word does Greg seem to like to use?

4. What does Ada suggest that she and Van should do in a few days, after she finishes her business in Geneva?

5. Who is Van's second for the duel?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Van write about in his unsent letter to Ada?

2. Why does Van need to go back for more surgery?

3. What is Cordula's conversation like?

4. How does Demon discover that Van is living with Ada?

5. What does Lucette say about Ada's hands?

6. In Marina's last days, why is Van planning a trip to America?

7. What metaphor does Van use for trying to understand time?

8. What excuse does Van make up to have time alone with Ada?

9. When Ada telephones Van, what does she tell him?

10. How does Van respond to an invitation to dine at the Captain's table?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Compare Lucette and Ada's characters in the novel.

1) What role does the age difference between Lucette and Ada play in their similarities and differences?

2) How doe Van love Lucette? How is this different from the way he loves Ada? Why?

3) What are Lucette and Ada's feelings for each other? What does this show about their personalities, values, and beliefs?

Essay Topic 2

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 3

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?

(see the answer keys)

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