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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 is one example the narrator cites as moments when things do not turn out as planned?

2. What did M tell L Tony's early experience with death forced him to do?

3. Where did Tony get his wardrobe?

4. What type of business did L's family own?

5. In what way does Brett seem out of place when they meet at the harbor town?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does the narrator describe the man she met on the train in Paris? What was he doing? Why did she not say something?

2. Who is the narrator speaking to at the start of the novel? What does she say happened while on a train in Paris?

3. How did Kurt help M when trying to explain what Justine and Kurt needed to move into the main house so L could stay in the second place?

4. What did the narrator tell L about his artwork's impact on her life when she invited him to stay in the second place?

5. What did Tony find after clearing the adjacent land he bought near the marsh? What did he do there?

6. Describe L and M's first interaction the morning after he arrived at the second place. How did she feel about him? How did he make her feel?

7. Whose portrait did L tell M he wanted to paint? How did she feel that he did not wish to paint her? What did she say to him about this?

8. What happened on the narrator's final morning in Paris when she saw a particular sign?

9. What do readers learn of L's backstory in the fourth chapter?

10. What do readers learn about Tony's backstory in the third chapter?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay exploring the central purpose of this story. What response do you think the author hoped to get from her readers? Do you think she was successful? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

Choose a character and discuss their role in creating conflict in the story.

Essay Topic 3

Away from the main character examine the way the author uses the other characters in the story. When does she introduce and take them away from the story? What effect does it have on the story?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 805 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample