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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 was Teresa's major in college?

2. In Chapter 6, where does Leo Posen take a house for the summer?

3. What type of car did Bert's parents give him when he graduated from college?

4. In Chapter 6, what day of the week does the gardener come and tend the gardens at the house Leo rents for the summer?

5. In Chapter 6, how old are Eric and Marisol?

Short Essay Questions

1. Where did The Cousins children live after Cal died?

2. How did Holly end up living in Switzerland?

3. Why does Leo rent a house for the summer in Chapter 6?

4. In what way is Leo and Franny's relationship doomed even before the house guests in Chapter 6?

5. How did Bert and Teresa meet?

6. What children do Caroline and Franny have?

7. In Chapter 8, what are Teresa's reasons for retiring?

8. In Chapter 5, what does Holly tell her mother about Cal's death?

9. In Chapter 5, how does Fode know that Albie is Jeannette's brother?

10. In Chapter 6, where does Leo rent a house for the summer, and what is the house like?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Beverly and Wallis are friends through marriage, divorce, and cross-country moves. What type of relationship do the women have and how does their relationship affect their lives?

Essay Topic 2

The author tells the stories with simple language. Characters who use simple language and who are less sophisticated seem to be portrayed by the author as more reliable. How does the way that the author uses simple language to portray characters make some characters seem more honest and trustworthy and others to seem to be dishonest and untrustworthy?

Essay Topic 3

At the end of the novel, Franny visits Bert. Why does Franny visit Bert, and what does her longing for home have to do with the visit?

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