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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 recent medical problem has afflicted Mrs. Levitt?

2. What sport does Robert play on a school team?

3. How did Mrs. Levitt meet her husband?

4. What is the source of the noises that Beth hears near the living room windows?

5. In what city are the Castros visiting relatives for Thanksgiving?

Short Essay Questions

1. How do Beth and Robert react when they learn that several New York police officers have been killed?

2. What does Beth do as she begins to relax and feel less panicked in her new life?

3. How does Robert react when Beth and Mike begin to see more of each other?

4. What does Beth reveal to Cindy regarding another relationship with a man when they are at the beauty salon?

5. What are the personal motivations that cause both Cindy and Beth to make the life decisons that they have?

6. What does Beth reveal to Cindy about why she finally decided to leave Bobby?

7. How does Beth inadvertently end up on TV news and how does she feel about it?

8. What is the story of how Mr. and Mrs. Levitt met?

9. What is the first slip that Beth makes in possibly revealing her former identity?

10. What does Beth learn about not being a victim from Mrs. Levitt's story?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Quindlen is a master at dramatic devices. Choose an example of symbolism, metaphors, and irony, briefly describe each and identify the technique which each represents.

Essay Topic 2

Project into the future ten years after the end of the novel and write a brief synopsis for Beth's life. Will she have reconnected with Robert? Where is Bobby at this time? What is the state of Beth's marriage to Mike? What else can you project about Beth's life? Explain.

Essay Topic 3

Explain the role of women in America in the 1990s when the women in the novel are living their lives. What precedents do they feel compelled to follow? What restrictions do they have? What freedoms did they have that 21st century women do not?

(see the answer keys)

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