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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 Edward's IQ?

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

3. In what year do Florence and Edward both go off to college?

4. What does the narrator name as Edward's main activity during the weekends in his college years?

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

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What is the symbolism of Edward's B- grade on his dissertation?

3. How is the theme of misunderstanding portrayed within the narrator's explanation of Edward's mistaking Florence's shyness "for a form of coyness" (25)?

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

5. What is the significance of the "contradiction" (28) the author describes as living within Florence's soul from the moment Edward asks her to marry him?

6. 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?

7. In a rare moment of assertiveness, Florence tells her mother Violet that she is disappointed in her. What reason does she give for her disappointment?

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

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write a critical essay about the novella while using the critical power theory lens of feminist theory. Use textual evidence to back up your strong, specific claim regarding the novella's treatment of gender roles, the objectification of women, the silencing of women's voices, misogyny's effects upon society, or any other issues related to feminist theory that can be found in the book.

Essay Topic 2

Analyze the author's messages surrounding the topic of sexual freedom.

Essay Topic 3

How do the themes of secrecy and transparency function within the novella and what is the author's message regarding these themes?

(see the answer keys)

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