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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. To which character had George's mother compared the painting by Francesco, calling it "generous," "sardonic," and "friendly" (205)?

2. During the conversation near the castle, George's mother scolded Henry for what transgression?

3. How many minutes is the total length of the pornographic video that upsets George?

4. For what kind of company does George's father currently work?

5. What term had George's mother used to describe the chances of Francesco having been a female artist?

Short Essay Questions

1. For what reason is George unable to find out what songs her mother had danced to during her morning ritual?

2. In what ritual does George begin to engage while sitting in her garden each day?

3. What is the significance of George's shift away from considering a particular element of language to be very important?

4. What timeline does George provide on the first page of the section entitled Eyes and what is its significance?

5. What does George tell her father after he discovers her in the garden engaging in her daily ritual?

6. What is the significance of Saint Catherine within the narrative?

7. What two contradictory terms does George use to describe the atmosphere of the Italian town called Ferrara that she had visited with her mother and brother Henry?

8. What does the shopping cart within the narrative represent in the scene at "the car park" (231)?

9. What piece of information did George's mother forget during their time in Italy and why did this event upset George?

10. Discuss a metaphor Smith uses to indicate George's concern that she may be unable to love.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How are the topics of romantic relationships, love, and sex treated within the novel How to Be Both and how does their treatment relate to the novel's depicted messages?

Essay Topic 2

Choose an object from How to Be Both, such as the snail, the Super 8 video footage, or some other symbolic object placed within the narrative. Discuss the symbol's overall meaning and its connection to broader themes within the text.

Essay Topic 3

Examine the novel How to Be Both from an Existential perspective. What elements of life does it suggest hold the most meaning and why?

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