View a FREE sample

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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Helga marries Pleasant Green and moves to
(a) Alabama.
(b) Chicago.
(c) California.
(d) Naxos.

2. Irene does not tell Brian about bumping into Bellew because
(a) She is not sure why it happened.
(b) She thinks it is meaningless.
(c) She is embarrassed.
(d) It might serve as a warning to him.

3. What is the implication that surrounds Clare's rich white male companions?
(a) They find Clare to be a hard worker.
(b) They find Clare to be a good dancer.
(c) They pay Clare for housekeeping.
(d) They are paying a good price for Clare's company.

4. What animal image comes to Irene's mind when considering Clare?
(a) A cougar.
(b) A fox.
(c) A cat.
(d) A lion.

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

Short Answer Questions

1. Helga has developed a new appreciation for

2. In this section, Clare is now

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

4. In Chicago, Clare's husband

5. Helga's most recent infant

Short Essay Questions

1. Discuss Helga's new exuberance as the wife of a minister.

2. 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?

3. 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?

4. What is odd about the initial meeting among Irene, Gertrude and Clare? Are these conversations typical among women friends? What, if anything, makes the visit among the three women unusual?

5. What is it that has kept Clare from leaving her husband and living permanently in Harlem?

6. 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?

7. Speculate on why Clare is silent at the Redfield dinner table, but talkative and gregarious a parties with others. Does she have a split personality, or is she just shy at the Redfields'? How does Larsen let on what is going on without saying it?

8. What do we learn about the marriage of Irene and Brian Redfield in this chapter? Is it healthy? Is it durable? Why, or why not?

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

10. 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?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,636 words (approx. 6 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample