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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 worries Beth about Robert?

2. What does Robert tell Beth soon after their arrival at their new home?

3. For how many years has Frannie been married?

4. Why did Frannie dismiss Bobby's early violence toward her?

5. Why is Beth hesitant about Robert's request?

Short Essay Questions

1. What made Frannie start to entertain the idea of leaving her husband?

2. What is Frannie's new identity?

3. What does Beth do to make the duplex a little more homey?

4. What is going on in Frannie's life at the time that she meets Patty Bancroft?

5. Why can Beth not entertain ideas of what a life without Bobby might have meant for her?

6. What does Frannie decide for her new life with a new identity?

7. Where is Beth and Robert's new home located and of what does it remind Beth?

8. Why is Beth hesitant to allow Robert to go off by himself in the grocery store?

9. What does Frannie recall about the first time Bobby hit her?

10. Why does Beth worry that Robert may be more like Bobby than she would like him to be?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Create a character study of Cindy. What are her physical characteristics? What are her motivations? What are her fears? What are her dreams? What else can you say about Cindy?

Essay Topic 2

BLACK AND BLUE is a classic story of loss and renewal. What does that classification entail? Why does this novel fit into this category? Explain.

Essay Topic 3

Does Quindlen end the story on a note of hope for Beth or the continuance of her struggle to come to terms with her flawed relationship with Bobby? Give your perspective and two reasons to support your answer.

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