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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. When Maria comes home from Freddy Chaikin's office what does she do instead of calling Les Goodwin?

2. What type of bird does Maria watch at the hospital as the novel opens?

3. What is Maria consumed by after her mother's death when she lived in New York?

4. What does she buy at Saks that she can't fit into her Corvette?

5. What does Carter threaten Maria with if she does NOT have an abortion?

Short Essay Questions

1. When Maria thinks of the men that she has been intimate in her life, what conclusion does she come to and how is it important to the novel?

2. What kind of arrangements does Maria have to make in order to terminate her pregnancy at this time?

3. What is the only time in Maria's day where she does not think about the past nor is overcome with dread?

4. How does BZ respond to Maria's inquiries about whom Carter is sleeping with and what does it signify?

5. What kind of man was Maria's father and what impact did it have on Maria?

6. When Maria asks if Carter and she are separated when he returns home, how does he respond and why is it significant?

7. What memory does Carter have of Maria and the baby and what does it reveal about Maria?

8. In the period before Maria has her abortion, what rituals does she perform in order to induce menstruation and why does she do them?

9. Where does Maria begin to sleep after her breakup with Carter and why is it significant?

10. Who is Benny Austin and what does he represent in the novel?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the use of language in the novel. What is the purpose of profanity and colloquial language? What is the function of dialogue?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the relationship between mothers and daughters in the novel.

1. What is the nature of Maria and Kate's relationship?

2. What is the nature of Maria and her mother's relationship?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the representation of the film industry in the novel.

1. Discuss Maria's, Carter's, and BZ's professions within the industry.

2. How is the business of movie-making portrayed?

3. What is the dominant culture of the film industry?

(see the answer keys)

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