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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. How old are the twins, Jackson and Pierrot?

2. Where does Lola see Briony, thus realizing that the play is dead?

3. Where does Briony want to hold the practice for the play at the start of this novel?

4. Who does Briony behead in the context of the story she is hastily crafting?

5. What does Emily scoff at that has caused her older sister to leave her children?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Emily retreat to her bedroom each and every day?

2. Where does Briony imagine herself to be?

3. For what does Robbie type a letter to Cecilia as an apology?

4. What mystery does Briony begin to contemplate as she is looking at her hand?

5. What does Cecilia's father disapprove of which she does in spite of this disapproval?

6. What does Robbie presume will happen in relation to the funding for his future schooling?

7. Why does Cecilia not go to the kitchen to fill up the vase with water?

8. What does Briony do when she has finished a piece of writing?

9. What does Lola ask of Marshall in as grown-up a manner as she can muster?

10. What causes Cecilia to stop fixing the vase?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The growing up of Briony plays into the overall plot of the story, showing the reader that while she might want to grow up, she isn't quite ready for that adult world.

Part 1: List at least three things that Briony does that shows her immaturity.

Part 2: List at least three things that Briony does that demonstrate that she is growing up in the first part of the book.

Part 3: Has Briony grown up in the second part of the book? Or is she still childish in her interactions and her reactions to Cecilia?

Essay Topic 2

The theme of love and romance is an expected one in a novel containing a young girl who looks to her older sisters to see what "real life" will be like when she grows up.

Part 1: What does Briony think romance and love should include?

Part 2: What do you think Cecilia uses as a definition of love and romance? What does love include, according to her?

Part 3: Cite two examples of love relationships in this story. What do they have to say about the idea of love and its ability to heal and to hurt?

Essay Topic 3

One of the biggest themes in this manuscript is the idea of reality vs. fantasy. Briony's perspective not only yields a delightful narrative, but also disastrous consequences for other characters.

Part 1: In what way is Briony's storytelling helpful to the characters in the story?

Part 2: In what way is Briony's perspective hurtful to the characters?

Part 3: Is Briony a reliable narrator? Why or why not?

(see the answer keys)

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