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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 does Blanche put into her pockets?

2. Where does Annie's mother go to live after she stays at Annie's house for awhile?

3. What are Annie's intentions for her journal notes?

4. How had Annie's mother been injured?

5. Annie notes that Blanche's eyes are _________________.

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the time period of this very short chapter?

2. How did Annie's grandmother's death affect Annie's mother?

3. What is the state of Annie's mother's body and how does Annie relate to it?

4. How does Annie manage her mother's care when she begins to decline?

5. What is the purpose of the Preface in I REMAIN IN DARKNESS?

6. Does Annie believe she can do justice to her mother's ordeal by writing about it?

7. How was the process of writing this book cathartic for Annie?

8. Explain Annie's conflicted feelings when leaving her mother at the elevator in the hospital?

9. Name some of the motifs related to personal functioning that appear throughout I REMAIN IN DARKNESS.

10. What is the premise of I REMAIN IN DARKNESS?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Guilt takes on an almost human persona in this story. What is this literary technique called? Cite examples that support this position.

Essay Topic 2

Explain the concept of loneliness as it exhibits in the story. Which of the people are lonely? Are they all lonely in some way? Explain the loneliness and the methods and attempts to overcome it.

Essay Topic 3

Does Ernaux end the book on a note of hope for herself or the continuance of her struggle to come to terms with his flawed relationship and grief for her mother? Give your perspective and two reasons to support your answer.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 673 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample