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. According to Carter, who besides him, Maria, and the possible father, does NOT know about the affair?

2. When Maria lived in New York, what did she do?

3. When Helene arrives at the hospital to see Maria as the novel opens, what is she told?

4. What is the name of the first picture Carter made with Maria that never got distributed?

5. Who gives BZ and Helene money to stay married?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Maria feel after her abortion and what does it signify?

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

3. When Freddy offers Maria an opportunity for Morty Landau to see film of her, what does her response indicate about her priorities?

4. When Maria tells Carter that she is pregnant and that he may not be the father, how does he respond and why is it significant?

5. What does Maria do when she moves to New York and why is it significant?

6. What is the tone of Helene's recollections of Maria and why is it significant?

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

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

9. 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?

10. As the novel opens, where is Maria Wyeth and why is it significant?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the setting of the novel.

1. What role does the setting have in relation to the plot?

2. What is the relationship between the landscape and character development?

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 loss as a major theme in the novel. What has Maria lost in her life and how does she cope with loss?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 811 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample