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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 does Maria begin to bleed after her abortion?

2. The night after Maria drinks too much and wakes up naked in Helene's bedroom, why does BZ say "You weren't talking that way last night"?

3. Carter has done a film that Maria has not seen. It is entered in what film festival?

4. How does BZ die at the end of the novel?

5. When Maria tells Helene that they don't have to have lunch the day of the divorce hearing, what does Helene say?

Short Essay Questions

1. What happens when Maria leaves a party with an actor and they have sex and why is it significant?

2. What did the girl Maria knew who had an abortion do to obtain one and how does she tell her story?

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

4. What does the hypnotist Maria sees tell her about her problems and how does she react?

5. How does Helene speak during Carter and Maria's divorce hearing and then after and why is it significant?

6. Why does the actor Maria had sex with send her two dozen roses?

7. What does watching the television and reading the newspaper reveal about Maria's state of mind?

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

9. What does Maria do after she is unsuccessful in her attempt to reach Benny in Vegas?

10. How does BZ respond to Maria's pleas that he stop hitting Helene the night after she blacks out?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

Discuss the role of class in the novel.

1. What is the impact of class mobility on the characters?

2. How are differences in class represented?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the representation of the health industry in the novel.

1. How are medical professionals portrayed?

2. How are patient rights represented?

(see the answer keys)

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