View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Valeria plan to open on Christmas Eve?

2. When Michele nearly catches her with the diary, what does Valeria say she was writing?

3. What does Michele offer Valeria when she looks pale?

4. What does Valeria look at on the fashion magazine covers?

5. What is the "single source of happiness" (26) which Valeria fears losing?

Short Essay Questions

1. After hearing about Mirella being seen coming out of Sandro's building, what does Valeria read about in the paper?

2. How does Michele react when Valeria tries to talk to him about Mirella, saying that her questions are about a colleague's daughter?

3. How does Valeria react when kissed or complimented in front of the children? How do her children react?

4. What does Valeria remember doing at Mirella's age?

5. What is Valeria called by the other characters?

6. How does Valeria's family react when she says she might keep a diary?

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

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

9. What does Valeria buy for Mirella and Riccardo with Christmas Eve in mind?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Explore the figure of the mother-in-law in the novel. How is this figure depicted in Valeria's memories of her own mother-in-law and in her relationship with Marina?

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

Examine the idea of friendship in the novel. What does the book teach its readers about friendship, its value, and its limitations?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 643 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample