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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 unethical thing does Zenia ask Tony to do for her in Chapter 25?

2. In Chapter 1, to whom does Tony say that history is a construct?

3. In Chapter 22, who was an English war bride?

4. At the end of Chapter 1, from what does Zenia return?

5. Shanita is the owner of the shop where Charis works. What is she like?

Short Essay Questions

1. If Zenia is such bad business, why does Tony want to unravel the knot of Zenia and tell her story?

2. What is Charis's relationship with her daughter, Augusta?

3. Explain Zenia's romantic history with West.

4. Why does Tony think of McClung Hall as a haven?

5. Explain the significance of Tony's lace-edged collars being mentioned in Chapter 1 alongside a mention of Tony's interest in wars.

6. Why does Tony pick October 23, 1990 as the date on which to begin Zenia's story?

7. Describe the memorial service for Zenia after her supposed death in Lebanon.

8. In her undergraduate days, what was Tony's relationship with the Common room girls at McClung Hall?

9. Explain Charis's psychic abilities.

10. Were Tony's parents happily married?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Color is used as a symbol throughout "The Robber Bride." Discuss what each of the following examples of color as symbol represents and what they indicate about the characters who experience them: Roz's white bedroom, Zenia's black enamel apartment, the blue aura around Roz's grandmother and the red aura around Zenia at the Toxique.

Essay Topic 2

Karen changes her name to Charis in the book. Discuss whether you think Karen's name change and Charis's occasional lapses back into Karen indicates a mental illness or indicates her strength in being able to cope with the terrible abuse she endures. Cite examples from the text to support your arguments.

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the concept of gender role reversal in "The Robber Bride." Give examples of how each of the following characters exhibits atypical role behavior for his or her gender in the novel: Boyce, Charis, Tony, and Roz. What do you think Margaret Atwood is trying to say about the role of women in society through these examples of gender role reversal? Cite examples from the text to support your arguments.

(see the answer keys)

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