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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 is Tony Hogburn's nickname?

2. According to Heather, they booked the retreat out of a need to escape what?

3. As Masha addresses the guests for the first time, Frances envisions herself writing what?

4. Who is Paul Drabble?

5. What is the term Masha uses to describe the transformative therapy intended for the guests?

Short Essay Questions

1. What shocking change happened to Jessica and Ben prior to their coming on the retreat? How did the change affect them?

2. Frances is concerned to see what happen during their morning hike in Chapter 17?

3. Why is Tony famous?

4. Why is Ben unhappy with Jessica?

5. Masha keeps receiving emails from which person? How does she respond?

6. What does the reader learn about Tony in Chapter 18?

7. Who is the director of Tranquillum House? How has she been transformed?

8. What happened to Yao following the events of Chapter 1?

9. Once alone in her room for the first time, what does Frances discover?

10. Who is Ray, and what does he want? How does Lars feel about this desire?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What might have happened to Frances had she never attended the retreat at Tranquillum House? Argue for an alternative reality based on what the reader knows of her history, actions, and beliefs.

Essay Topic 2

At one point in the novel, Masha wants the guests to consider the koan “Show me your original face, the one you had before your parents were born” (132). Discuss the meaning of this koan and how it might apply to two characters in the novel.

Essay Topic 3

An epigraph is a short quotation at the beginning of a book. The epigraph to this novel is a quote from Rumi: “You suppose that you are in trouble but you are the cure. You suppose that you are the lock in the door but you are the key that opens it.” How does the epigraph reflect the lives of the characters? How does the epigraph reflect the novel’s themes?

(see the answer keys)

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