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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 Valeria's father's job?

2. What composer does Michele especially like?

3. What vegetable does Valeria talk about with her mother?

4. Where was Michele when he wrote letters to Valeria during their engagement?

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

Short Essay Questions

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

2. Why would the notebook be taken from Valeria if the family found it?

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

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

5. How does Valeria react when the man watches her entering her office?

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

7. What is Valeria called by the other characters?

8. Do Michele or Riccardo help Valeria when she is working in the kitchen?

9. What does Valeria think would happen if she let her family know that she had taken a quick nap or gone for a walk?

10. What happens when Valeria first gets home with the notebook?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Other than the notebook, what do you think is the defining symbol of the novel? Use textual evidence to discuss and support your choice.

Essay Topic 2

Is Valeria an unreliable narrator? If so, under what circumstances or regarding which topics or characters do you believe this to be the case?

Essay Topic 3

What is the significance of Valeria's decision to burn her notebook at the end of the novel? What does this decision tell us about her and what the notebook means for her?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 642 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample