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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 is the view from Clara's terrace?

2. What does Mirella show Valeria, when she calls her mother to her room?

3. After Easter, what new element does Valeria notice in her relationship with Guido?

4. Whose business card does the receptionist bring to Valeria?

5. When the director calls the office, what is the reason he cannot come?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why, thinks Valeria, can Michele not really see her anymore?

2. What does Valeria remember happening one night when she sat up late with Mirella when she was little?

3. Why does Valeria not like Marina?

4. What does Clara, who has always said she cannot live without love, now say about it?

5. How does Mirella respond when Valeria asks her to bring Riccardo his eggs?

6. What is the film about, that Michele and Valeria see together?

7. In his letters from Africa, what plans did Michele propose?

8. When the children's friends visit, how do they respond to Valeria?

9. When does Valeria think her anxiety started? What does she attribute it to?

10. Why does Sandro say it is hard for Valeria to understand her daughter?

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

What is the role of Valeria's mother in the novel? Using specific examples from the text, show the author's intent behind this character.

Essay Topic 3

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

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This section contains 683 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample