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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. At the end of the chapter what does Léonie imagine she and Thérèse are doing?

2. Who has died at the beginning of Chapter 22?

3. What does Thérèse do for her mother?

4. Where do Thérèse and Léonie walk?

5. From where does the chandelier come?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the implication of Madeleine scolding Thérèse for upsetting her father on his first day home?

2. In "The Cake Tin," what can be implied about Victorine's attitudes towards Jews?

3. In the chapter, "The Holdall," how does what Léonie finds while going through Thérèse's things demonstrate the differences between the two women?

4. What hint is there in the chapter, "The Cellar Key," that something about the cellar upsets Antoinette?

5. Describe how the church is decorated for the upcoming festival and what is perhaps a bit odd about that.

6. The chapter titled, "The Water Bottle" is dense with imagery. Identify two of the images and what they might represent.

7. In the previous chapter, the reader notices that Léonie embraces physicality as seen by her fascination with defecation; in the chapter, "The Frying Pan," what does it seem that Thérèse embraces?

8. How is the dream connected to Léonie's dream in the first chapter?

9. What do you think is the significance of Thérèse's threat of "the silent treatment" to Léonie?

10. What do you think the wind Léonie feels means?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Dreams are detailed in several chapters of this work; two particularly long ones are in chapter 1 and chapter 47. Answer the following questions in a well-developed essay using examples from the book as well as personal experience:

1. Describe several symbols in the dreams and their meaning.

2. What do you think is the purpose of using dreams in this novel?

3. How effective are the dreams at explaining the interior landscape of Thérèse and Léonie, since each character dreams one of the two significant dreams.

4. Do you find that dreams contribute to the meaning of this work? What about other literature or film that has one or more dream scenes?

Essay Topic 2

Starting with the second chapter and as a thread throughout much of the novel is the idea of materialism and obsession with possessions, especially on the part of Léonie. Choose one of the following questions and write a well-developed essay using examples from the book as well as personal experience:

1. Follow the theme of materialism throughout the story, giving specific examples of how and why this theme occurs.

2. Write an essay on the following idea: Is wealth/materialism in direct conflict with a spiritual life? Use examples from the book and from your personal life to illustrate your stance.

3. People from the United States are often accused of being materialistic and that this has greatly contributed to environmental problems. Write an essay either agreeing or disagreeing and support with examples and details.

Essay Topic 3

In Chapter 15, we learn that the wood floors of the house are marked by the German soldiers' boots, and the original red tiles are permanently ruined, and Antoinette has had carpet put down to cover these marks. Answer the following questions in a well-developed essay using examples from the book as well as personal experience:

1. How are the floors symbolic of psychological scars and whose scars? Give details and examples.

2. There seems to be a general conspiracy to cover wounds of the past in this story. Who decides to figuratively pull the rugs out from under everyone's feet and reveal what is under them and why does she decide to do so?

3. Do you think it is healthy to "cover up" past scars so that one does not have to think about them? Why or why not?

(see the answer keys)

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