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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Which department at Edward's college is rumored to be excitingly progressive?
(a) English.
(b) History.
(c) Sociology.
(d) Mathematics.

2. What is the main course of Florence and Edward's wedding night dinner in the honeymoon suite?
(a) Chicken.
(b) Salmon.
(c) Eggplant.
(d) Beef.

3. What college does Edward attend?
(a) University College.
(b) The Royal College of Music.
(c) Yale.
(d) Oxford.

4. What word brings to Florence's mind "nothing but pain, flesh parted before a knife" (8)?
(a) Entered.
(b) Intercourse.
(c) Proclivity.
(d) Penetration.

5. For what reason is Florence "an old hand" (3) at traveling?
(a) She used to travel with her father.
(b) She used to travel with her mother.
(c) She was in the Peace Corps prior to marrying Edward.
(d) Her family moved a great deal when she was young.

Short Answer Questions

1. How is the cellist in Florence's string quartet different from the other quartet members?

2. On the day Edward meets Florence, what vehicle does he use to get to the train station?

3. The narrator reveals that Florence and Edward "regarded themselves as too" what "to believe in destiny" (45)?

4. What vague intention does Edward have when he arrives at the train station on the day he meets Florence?

5. What is NOT listed among the outdated beliefs about masturbation when the narrator is explaining Edward's feelings about engaging in the practice?

Short Essay Questions

1. What phenomenon does Florence witness when it comes to girls her age getting boyfriends and how does her realization shape her behavior?

2. What distinction does the narrator make between Florence's wedding night anxieties and Edward's wedding night anxieties?

3. What technique does Florence use in order to conceal her feelings from her family?

4. What is the author's purpose for using an allusion to the silverware collection in "the Ashmolean" (68) and how does this choice relate to a larger theme within the novella?

5. For what reasons does Florence say it is harder for her to contradict her father, Geoffrey, than it is for her to contradict her mother Violet?

6. What is the significance of Florence's feelings about the word "penetration"? (8)

7. What is the event that galvanizes Edward's determination to marry Florence?

8. What does the television set symbolize within the narrative?

9. How is foreshadowing present within the narrator's description of Florence's attitude toward arguments?

10. How does the theme of secrecy emerge within the narrator's statement about Edward's previous experiences in hotels?

(see the answer keys)

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