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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 happens at Melissa's professional meeting in Chapter 13?

2. What poet does Melissa quote after Michael tells her his news in Chapter 9?

3. What does Stephanie try to convince her daughter Avril to do that she does not want to do in Chapter 12?

4. What kind of medicine does Ria take in Chapter 13?

5. Who was Justin's mother?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Michael resist the idea of moving away from London to a suburb?

2. What does Melissa tell Michael about in Chapter 11 that allows them to bond for a brief moment?

3. What traditional Nigerian food does Melissa try to make for her family and why does she make it?

4. In Chapter 13, what appears in the house that Melissa is disturbed and perplexed by?

5. What event shakes Damian to his core in Chapter 13?

6. Why is Michael so upset when Melissa tells him who she has slept with in Chapter 13?

7. How are things between Melissa and Michael when they are on vacation in Chapter 12?

8. Where do Michael and Melissa go on vacation in Chapter 12 and why do they go there?

9. Who does Michael call late at night in Chapter 11 and why?

10. What is Stephanie trying to work with her daughter Avril on in Spain on vacation?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

Write an essay explaining what you think has happened to Melissa by the end of Chapter 13. Do you think her suspicions about the spirits and malevolent forces in the house are literally correct, or do you think something else is happening to cause her extreme distress?

Essay Topic 3

How is the middle-aged woman who performs the Greek dance at Ria's school's annual cultural night different from Michael, Melissa, Stephanie, and Damian? What does the woman, and her joyful, free dancing, represent? Write an essay explaining your answer.

(see the answer keys)

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