View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Which author does Melissa particularly like?

2. How long have Michael and Melissa been a couple in Chapter 3?

3. What is the name of the exterminator's company in Chapter 5?

4. What is Damian having a hard time coming to terms with in Chapter 2?

5. What does Melissa envision herself wearing at her imaginary wedding?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Blake do in Chapter 5 that makes Melissa uneasy in their house as she is changing him?

2. What does Damian suggest to Michael that might be wrong with Melissa in Chapter 7?

3. Why does Mrs. Jackson need help in Chapter 3?

4. What is a large source of problems in Damian's and Stephanie's relationship?

5. At Ria's school's cultural night, who steals the show?

6. How do Melissa and Michael know the Wiley brothers?

7. What large project does the former occupant of Melissa and Michael's house undertake just before his marriage falls apart?

8. How did the Crystal Palace meet its ruin?

9. Why had Michael's relationship with Gillian not worked out?

10. What does Ria often wear that is first mentioned in Chapter 3?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay analyzing the reasons Melissa feels so angry, upset, and discontented with her life as the primary caregiver for her two young children.

Essay Topic 2

The novel opens with a party in London celebrating the 2008 U.S. presidential election of Barack Obama. Write an essay analyzing how Evans explains the relevance of Obama's election to the U.S. presidency through her characters in Chapter 1, who are living in London.

Essay Topic 3

What is the significance of the disclosure by the musician Jill Scott in Chapter 7, an artist both Michael and Melissa like from the early days of their relationship, that she has recently gotten divorced? Write an essay explaining your answer.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 548 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample