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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. Who tells Felicia at Christmas dinner, "You don't know what the f---- you're talking about"?

2. When Maria runs into Carter unexpectedly on the street in Beverly Hills after their divorce, where does she tell him she is going for a few days?

3. What kind of movie does BZ watch the first time Maria met him at his house?

4. When Maria shows up on Carter's set in the desert, why does he tell her to leave and do something with Helene?

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. Why is Maria arrested in Vegas?

2. When Carter tells Maria that his film will be showing at Cannes, how does she respond?

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

4. What happens when Maria and Kate have dinner at Felicia and Les Goodwin's house during the Christmas holiday and why is it significant?

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

6. What happens when Maria agrees to meet a director for a new film and what does it signify?

7. Why does Maria decline to meet BZ's mother in Pebble Beach?

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

9. How does Maria prepare to meet Les in a hotel room and what happens when he arrives?

10. 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?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss Maria's crisis of identity in the novel.

1. What is her perception of herself?

2. How does she define herself in relation to others?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the role of friendship in the novel.

1. What is the nature of Maria and Helene's friendship?

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

Essay Topic 3

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?

(see the answer keys)

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