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

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

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

4. In what socioeconomic bracket had Eve grown up as a result of her family's socioeconomic status?

5. When Chapter 1 begins, what is Katey's relationship to Eve?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. 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).

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

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

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

6. What major development occurs at the very end of Chapter 11, after Katey sees her father and uncle?

7. In what way is the theme of unfulfilled wishes depicted at some point within Chapters 1 through 5?

8. In what way is the theme of family bonds depicted in Tinker's comments about his brother Hank?

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What is the novel's message concerning the link between wealth and happiness?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the way in which the subway photography included among the alphabetical aspects of the novel acts as a central motif of the text.

Essay Topic 3

How do the themes of deception and secrecy function within the novel, and what is the author's message regarding these themes?

(see the answer keys)

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