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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. Anita thinks that Margot's marriage is ______________________.

2. Who is the husband of Georgia's deceased friend?

3. With whom was Reuel having an affair?

4. What does the man in #147 take Georgia to see?

5. What observation does Morris' bookkeeper make about Matilda?

Short Essay Questions

1. What was Joan Fordyce's childhood like as explained in the first part of the story?

2. How does Margot keep Reuel in line now that she had spotted him with their young babysitter, Lana?

3. What sad event does the snowstorm prompt Karin to recall and why does she take Austin to the lake to photograph the ice?

4. What was the source of the falling out between Georgia and Maya, causing them to never speak again?

5. How did Georgia meet Maya and Raymond as well as Hilda and Harvey? What secret does Georgia learn about the marriages of these two couples?

6. Why would Austin have had good reasons--in his mind--to have committed suicide?

7. Who are June (Bugs) and Averill and what are they doing as the story begins?

8. What is Joan's married life like and what does she learn about the relationship between Morris and Matilda?

9. How did Margot get even with Reuel after his affair with their babysitter and manage to get all the things she had ever wanted in life?

10. What did Anita learn about Margot when her mother visited her in the hospital after her appendix surgery?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Loss seems to be almost an unnamed character in the book. How pervasive is the sense of loss? Why does it have such a prevalent place in the characters' lives? Explain how an inanimate object or characteristic can be a character.

Essay Topic 2

Create a character study of Flora Grieves in "Friend of My Youth". What are her physical characteristics? What are her motivations? What are her fears? What are her dreams? What else can you say about Flora?

Essay Topic 3

Create a character study of Hetty Pennefather in "An Old Woman and Her Cat". What are her physical characteristics? What are her motivations? What are her fears? What are her dreams? What else can you say about Hetty?

(see the answer keys)

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