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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 Garrett die?

2. What weekend does Garrett think of during the few days he and Theresa spend together following their first night together?

3. What elements of Boston prove overwhelming for Garrett?

4. What does Theresa decide to do the night of her dinner with Garrett and Kevin?

5. How much longer does Theresa stay after the first night she and Garrett spend together?

Short Essay Questions

1. How is Theresa's career doing in Chapter 11?

2. What are Garrett's feelings at the start of Chapter 10?

3. Who do you think Theresa is in love with at the end of Chapter 9, the Garrett from the letter or the Garrett she met?

4. How is Garrett's first trip to Boston?

5. Why does Theresa break off her relationship with Garrett?

6. Why do you think Garrett leaves the bedroom in the middle of the first night Theresa spends at his home ?

7. What message does the last bottle from Garrett contain?

8. What does Theresa do for lunch the day she receives flowers from Garrett?

9. What happens the last night Theresa is in Wilmington?

10. What are Garrett's and Theresa's feeling toward each other at the end of Chapter 9 ?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Compare Theresa's loss of intimacy with Garrett's loss of Catherine. Discuss how loss affects their characters and brings them together. Provide examples from the book to support your discussion.

Essay Topic 2

Why doesn't Theresa mention the letters when she first meets Garrett? Do you think their relationship could have evolved if she had? Do you think they would have moved as quickly? Support your discussion and opinions with quotes from the text and feel free to use secondary sources from well known critics.

Essay Topic 3

"Message in a Bottle" expresses humanity's capacity for love and relationships, but love and life appear simultaneously in the novel, revealing the human condition and human frailty. Discuss the motif of love in "Message in a Bottle," analyzing how love can be both destructive and regenerating.

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This section contains 865 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample