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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 does Riccardo say that Marina enjoys?

2. What does Valeria see in an American movie that makes her laugh?

3. What will Mirella's schedule be at work?

4. What does Mirella sometimes wear at home in the winter?

5. Who drove Valeria home during the war?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is Valeria called by the other characters?

2. The year before, what joke had the family made about Riccardo in Michele's tuxedo?

3. What does Valeria keep in her office drawer and what is its importance to her?

4. When Valeria had trouble with Michele early in her marriage, what would her mother do?

5. What is Riccardo's attitude toward his father?

6. When Valeria phone's Giovanna, trying to find Mirella, what does Giovanna's mother tell her?

7. Where would Michele like to go? Where would Valeria like to go?

8. In Valeria's opinion, why does Michele support Riccardo in his plan to go to Argentina?

9. How does Michele react to the gossip about Mirella?

10. What is Michele's father like? How does he behave on Mirella's birthday?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What is the understanding of freedom in the novel? Who has it? When is it promised? How important is it?

Essay Topic 2

Explore the theme of sacrifice in the novel. Select three different characters and explain how their experiences express this theme.

Essay Topic 3

What role do finances play in the characters' relationships? Choose one relationship to focus on and examine the impact of money on that relationship.

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