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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 states that sex is a joke because
(a) He thinks sex is hilarious.
(b) His marriage is clearly unhappy.
(c) He wants his son to think sex is funny.
(d) He likes off color jokes.

2. Brian demands that Irene
(a) Not molly-coddle their son.
(b) Stop talking to him.
(c) Stop telling dirty jokes.
(d) Write back to Clare.

3. Soon after Helga is well enough to be out of bed
(a) She begins to give birth to her fifth child.
(b) She rejects Green's advances.
(c) She prays for redemption.
(d) She packs up to leave.

4. Clare is very
(a) Maternal and kind.
(b) Self-focused and manipulative.
(c) Generous and gregarious.
(d) Threatening and belligerent.

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

Short Answer Questions

1. Irene's response to Clare's letter is that she

2. Brian demands that Irene not

3. Why is Irene offended by Clare's use of a PO Box for a return address?

4. Brian would rather be living in

5. Helga's most recent infant

Short Essay Questions

1. 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?

2. How did her religion help Helga through difficult times?

3. 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?

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

5. 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?

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

7. 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?

8. 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?

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

10. After two years pass, Clare again wants to become involved in Irene's life. Is Irene's reaction negative or positive? Explain her reaction.

(see the answer keys)

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