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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. Where does Michael go at the end of Part 3, Chapter 12?

2. Who does Michael meet at the cemetery?

3. What does Michael feel upon reading the note?

4. What does Michael say about his exchange with Hanna?

5. What is the first thing Hanna says to Michael when she sees him in Part 3, Chapter 8?

Short Essay Questions

1. In Chapter 17, how does Michael describe Hanna at her sentencing?

2. What does Michael dream about on the train from Boston to New York, on the way to visit the daughter from the trial?

3. Of Hanna's possessions, what does the daughter decide to keep, and why?

4. What happens when Michael goes to talk to the judge in Chapter 16?

5. What does Michael decide to do for work, and why?

6. What does Michael receive at the beginning of Chapter 6, and why does this cause him great joy?

7. What does Michael do during the summer after the trial, as described in Part 3, Chapter 1?

8. What does Michael say about his relationships after Gertrud?

9. What does Michael do with his own writing?

10. How do the Michael's feelings about the trial become "awakened" in Chapter 3?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Hanna and Micheal's relationship is immediate and intense, yet the reader only has Michael's view of their budding romance. From a literary standpoint, why might the author construct their relationship in this way? What are the disadvantages for reader, of not knowing how Hanna truly feels about Michael? The advantages?

Essay Topic 2

When Michael begins to read aloud to Hanna, it starts out as an intimate activity. Give examples as to how this activity strengthens their relationship. Compare and contrast how Michael feels about reading aloud to Hanna in the early stages of their relationship to the later stages. What has changed?

Essay Topic 3

The author uses an interesting technique in the beginning of the novel; he doesn't introduce the readers to Michael until Michael and Hanna formally introduce themselves. Why is this? Why might this technique be beneficial to the story? Why not? Do you think this was a conscious decision by the author? Why or why not?

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