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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Brian's comments about sex being a joke indicate that
(a) He thinks sex is hilarious.
(b) He sees the humor in the jokes.
(c) He is happy with his marriage.
(d) He and Irene don't have much of a sex life.

2. Clare is upset that she will have to leave New York to
(a) Rejoin her husband in Switzerland.
(b) See her daughter in Switzerland.
(c) Retrieve her daughter from Switzerland.
(d) Get back into white society.

3. In her illness, Helga is unable to
(a) Pray properly.
(b) Love her new child.
(c) Ask the right questions.
(d) Give birth.

4. Green's bad habits are outweighed by his
(a) Devotion to her.
(b) Long sermons.
(c) Good looks.
(d) Goodness and holiness.

5. At the tea, Irene is
(a) Clearly tired of Hugh Wentworth.
(b) Unusually chatty.
(c) Preoccupied with her children.
(d) Her usual charming self.

Short Answer Questions

1. Soon after Helga is well enough to be out of bed

2. Irene knows that she and Brian and their children belong

3. Where would Brian prefer to live?

4. Helga grows tired and ill from

5. Irene allowing Clare into the private rooms of the house symbolizes

Short Essay Questions

1. What role, if any, does Clare's husband play in the story so far? Is he a comforting presence? Why, or why not? Is he a likable character?

2. What is the burden that these characters carry with them throughout the story?

3. What, exactly, does Irene fervently wish John Bellew could know? Why?

4. What do we know about Clare Kendry from her letter to Irene? What do we know about her from this chapter?

5. What kind of parent is Clare Kendry? What are the clues, thus far, that help us to draw conclusions about her parenting abilities? How has Larsen informed us about this?

6. Hugh Wentworth, the white author, comes back into the story during the afternoon tea scene. What is Wentworth's role? Is he a true friend to Irene? To Clare?

7. Is there anything we can deduce about Irene's response to Clare's letter without knowing the whole story? If so, what are they?

8. Things have taken a turn for the worse at the Redfields'. What are the clues that the story is inching toward a conclusion as it pertains to the Redfields and Clare Kendry? What conclusions can we draw about this section of the story?

9. What is the author's intention when she puts the two women together in the hotel restaurant scene? What conclusions can we draw from Irene's memory of that day?

10. Why do you suppose Clare is pushing herself so rigorously to get involved in Irene's life? Why has she not chosen, for instance, Gertrude, to reacquaint her with the black culture? What is the particular attraction to Irene?

(see the answer keys)

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