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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. How does Dottie behave when she comes down with the flu?

2. To what does Fleur compare the members of the Association by the end of January, 1950?

3. By December of 1949, where is Fleur's primary focus?

4. How is the plot of Warrender Chase, the novel, influenced by Fleur's experience at the Autobiographical Association?

5. Why does Mr. Alexander keep insisting that Fleur move into a larger room in the his boarding house?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Fleur spend that first meeting of the Association?

2. How did Fleur feel about spending the evening in pub with Gray Mauser after her argument with Maisie?

3. Fleur describes both Beryl Tims and Dottie, the wife of Fleur's lover, as "English Roses." What does she mean by this?

4. How had Fleur originally come up with the idea for her novel, Warrender Chase?

5. How does Fleur react to the beginning manuscripts of the memoirs when she first begins her work?

6. How does Fleur handle the motivation behind the evil doings of the title character in Warrender Chase?

7. When "Bucks" Gilbert hosts a party, Fleur runs into her old friend Wally. What happens between them?

8. Describe Fleur's impressions of Sir Quentin Oliver upon their first meeting.

9. Fleur keeps all of the letters she receives, and describes one in particular. Talk about that one.

10. Explain Fleur's confusion, early on, about her novel, Warrender Chase and how it related to the events with the Association.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Women writers often question traditional female roles, and Mariel Spark is no exception. One in particular is the role of remaining subordinate to men while simultaneously taking care of them. How, in Loitering with Intent, does Spark question and discuss this female role?

Essay Topic 2

Muriel Spark intentionally leaves character motivation out of Loitering with Intent. Her main character, Fleur Talbot, discusses not disclosing Warrender Chase's motivation for his evil behavior, merely the effects of his evil actions.

Discuss the concept of motivation and why you think Spark doesn't focus on the motivation of her characters' actions. Do you think this affects the reader's impressions of the novel?

Essay Topic 3

Conflict between parent and child is a common theme in literature. This novel is no exception, although the parent/child conflict does not involve the main character. Analyze the sources of the parent/child conflict in Loitering with Intent and explain how it contributes to the development of the story.

(see the answer keys)

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