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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. What had NOT been on the list of Edward and Florence's fears in regard to their parents' behavior at the wedding?
(a) They had feared that Edward's parents would condescend to Florence's parents.
(b) They had feared that Edward's mother would significantly misbehave.
(c) They had feared that Edward's mother would forget the purpose of the event entirely.
(d) They had feared that Edward's father would not attend the ceremony.

2. Under what type of tree does Edward always read in order to stay out of his mother's reach during his visits home?
(a) An elm tree.
(b) A maple tree.
(c) A birch tree.
(d) An oak tree.

3. During what decade does the couple's wedding take place?
(a) The 1960s.
(b) The 1930s.
(c) The 1950s.
(d) The 1970s.

4. What college does Florence attend?
(a) The Royal College of Music.
(b) University College.
(c) Harvard.
(d) Oxford.

5. What kind of beach is Chesil Beach?
(a) A golden sand beach.
(b) A pebble beach.
(c) An estuary.
(d) A black sand beach.

Short Answer Questions

1. The narrator states that when Edward first sees Florence, the lighting makes her face resemble a what?

2. For how many miles does Chesil Beach stretch along the coast?

3. Which composer is NOT listed among Florence's favorites?

4. What is NOT named as an example of Florence's clumsy nature?

5. What is the name of Florence's father Geoffrey's boat?

Short Essay Questions

1. What example does the author provide to support the claim that Florence has come to find life within her family home as unbearably oppressive?

2. 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?

3. How does Florence describe her mother Violet's use of physical affection?

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

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

6. What beliefs does Edward draw from listening to blues music at the Hundred Club?

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

8. What legend exists about the shingle on Chesil Beach and how does it inform the couple's plans?

9. How is irony employed within the narrator's description of the moment Edward asks Florence to marry him?

10. What is the author's purpose for including the detail that on the cover of Florence's paperback guide for brides is "portrayed two smiling bug-eyed matchstick figures holding hands, drawn clumsily in white chalk, as though by an innocent child" (12)?

(see the answer keys)

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