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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 animal does Rachel compare Thelma with when she is at the group therapy meeting?

2. When did Mark give Rachel the diamond ring that she hides in her bra?

3. Who did Eleanor find wandering the streets dressed only in a towel?

4. Who is Eleanor?

5. What does Rachel say she heard one day while cooking at her Washington home?

Short Essay Questions

1. Does Rachel know the woman her husband is having an affair with?

2. Describe Vera's physical appearance.

3. Where is Rachel's father, Harry, when Rachel arrives at his apartment?

4. What happened to Mr. Abbey, Rachel's Washington neighbor?

5. What caused Rachel to break up with Mark?

6. What does Rachel imagine her mother would say about Mark's affair?

7. How does Mark get Rachel to marry him?

8. Describe Rachel Samstat's character.

9. Why does Jonathan visit Rachel in New York City?

10. What are some of the rules of Rachel's therapy group?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What role does food play in this novel? How is it important to Rachel's life and marriage? Why does Rachel provide recipes as she tells the story of her marriage breaking up? Do the recipes add to the story? Explain why or why not.

Essay Topic 2

Choose two secondary characters and explain their importance to the story. How do they influence Rachel? In what way do they help the plot advance? Provide specific textual examples to support your ideas.

Essay Topic 3

Discuss Jonathan's role as a husband. Why is he willing to put up with Thelma's affair with Mark? How does he attempt to control it? What does he try to persuade Rachel to do?

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