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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. Which of the car's inhabitants in Chapter 4 is the most seriously injured, sustaining severe facial injuries and other permanent effects?

2. In what language are Charlotte and her grandmother speaking to each other as Katey approaches?

3. What does the sign say that is hanging outside of the bar to which Fran takes Katey?

4. In what type of brown car does Eve pick up Katey in Chapter 9?

5. Katey tells Tinker that she likes to frequent what types of buildings when the buildings are empty?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. Describe the narrator's character and situation within 1938.

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

4. What is Katey's reaction when she receives the correspondence from Eve in Palm Beach?

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

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

7. What happens to bring Katey into contact with Anne for the third time within the narrative?

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

9. Describe the character of Fran, as she is introduced in Chapter 8.

10. 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).

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What is the function of Fran's character within the novel? Discuss the characterization methods used by the author in depicting Fran and include in your discussion the reasons that the author portrays Fran in these particular ways.

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the author's messages about guilt and responsibility within Amor Towles's novel Rules of Civility. Focus especially on events such as Tinker's reaction to Eve's terrible injuries incurred in their car accident.

Essay Topic 3

Trace the characterization arc of Katey’s character throughout the novel. Discuss whether she is a round or flat character and whether she is a static or dynamic character.

(see the answer keys)

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