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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. In Vegas, when Maria sleeps with an actor who doesn't know who she is, what does he tell her when they are in bed?

2. What does Maria borrow from the stuntman ten days before the film is done in the desert?

3. According to Freddy Chaikin, what is the best medicine for things wrong in the private life department?

4. During Christmas dinner, what gift from Felicia does Kate smash against the mirror?

5. Who at Christmas dinner is "preternaturally attuned to the threat of voices not even raised"?

Short Essay Questions

1. When Maria wakes up and finds Helene and BZ in the room with her, what vague notion does Maria have and what does it mean?

2. What does Maria remember about meeting BZ for the first time and what does it foreshadow?

3. What is significant about Maria's meeting with Les Goodwin the day of her abortion?

4. Why do Carter and Helene assume that Maria had something to do with BZ's death and what are the consequences?

5. What happened the last time Maria saw her mother and how does it parallel Maria's situation?

6. What does Maria realize about the day of the audition?

7. Why does Maria move out of her house in Beverly Hills to an apartment and what does it signify?

8. What does Maria do when she runs into Benny Austin at the Flamingo and why?

9. How does Maria react when she begins to bleed after the abortion and why?

10. When Ivan Costello returns Maria's phone call, how does he behave and what does it signify?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the portrayal of marriage in the novel.

Compare and contrast Maria and Carter's marriage with BZ and Helene's marriage. What are their similarities and differences?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the treatment of women in the novel. What roles are women valued for and why? What is the relationship between equality and power in the ways in which women are treated?

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)

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