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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. What does Michael's wife say about his choice of job?

2. How long does it take to read the verdict?

3. At the beginning of Part 2, Chapter 16, what does Michael say he couldn't "make himself do"?

4. How does Hanna die?

5. What is the first thing Michael notices about Hanna when he sees her in Part 3, Chapter 8?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. Describe the prison warden, and the exchange she and Michael have when Michael comes to the prison and finds out Hanna has committed suicide.

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

5. How does Michael feel upon seeing Hanna in Chapter 8, and how does he describe her?

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

7. What happens to Michael when he visits the cemetery in Chapter 3?

8. Describe what is said in the letter Michael receives from the prison warden.

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

10. In Chapter 17, what is the atmosphere in the courtroom at the beginning of the sentencing?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In Part 1, Chapter 9, Michael asks "Why does what was beautiful suddenly shatter in hindsight because it concealed dark truths?" What does this foreshadow? Do you agree with Michael that happiness about something cannot be regained if the memory ends in unhappiness? Why or why not? How does this question relate to the novel as a whole?

Essay Topic 2

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 3

In Part 3, Chapter 10, the reader learns that Hanna commits suicide. How did the author foreshadow her suicide? Compare and contrast the tone of Hanna's correspondence with Michael and her behavior when they meet at the prison. What changed?

(see the answer keys)

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