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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. In what decade of their lives had Val and Katey started seeing each other?
(a) In their thirties.
(b) In their thirties.
(c) In their forties.
(d) In their fifties.

2. When Chapter 1 begins, what is Katey's relationship to Eve?
(a) Boss.
(b) Ex-girlfriend and enemy.
(c) Sister-in-law.
(d) Roommate and friend.

3. What type of film do Eve, Tinker, and Katey see once they sneak into the theater?
(a) A Marx Brothers film.
(b) A Buster Keaton film.
(c) A Laurel and Hardy film.
(d) A Charlie Chaplin film.

4. At which of her usual places is Katey dining on the day when Tinker walks by, notices her inside, and joins her for lunch?
(a) A noodle house.
(b) A diner.
(c) A bakery.
(d) A coffee shop.

5. To what kind of restaurant does Katey wear her new blue dress with the white dots?
(a) Chinese.
(b) Italian.
(c) Vegetarian.
(d) French.

Short Answer Questions

1. What method of transportation do Eve, Tinker, and Katey take in order to reach the place Eve uses to impress Tinker?

2. In what way is Hank related to Tinker?

3. The postcard Katey receives from Eve and Tinker has a hand-drawn arrow pointing to what element of the photo?

4. What is the last name of the novel's protagonist, whose first name is Katey?

5. In what state had Tinker grown up?

Short Essay Questions

1. Discuss an example when Towles uses a simile within the novel's narrative and discuss its effects.

2. Describe the correspondence Katey receives from Eve during Eve's and Tinker's trip to Palm Beach.

3. Describe the moment when Eve and Katey encounter Tinker.

4. For what reason do Katey and Eve have to "start improvising" (17) on New Year's Eve?

5. In what way does the epigraph of Rules of Civility depict the theme of class difference?

6. In what way does Katey demonstrate loyalty during her third meeting with Anne, which occurs within a hotel?

7. Discuss the significance of the as-yet-unnamed narrator's comment that "It happens to all of us. It's just a question of how many stops it takes" (5).

8. What is the symbolism inherent in the character of Nathaniel Parrish, as he is featured within Chapter 12?

9. In what manner is the novel Rules of Civility organized?

10. For what purpose does Towles include an allusion to Gertrude Stein within Chapter 9?

(see the answer keys)

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