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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 Gretchen's child's name?

2. Where does Jean work?

3. Who is the former matron of St. Cecilia's clinic?

4. What does Gretchen's husband do for a living?

5. What does Martha tell Jean about Gretchen's claim of immaculate conception?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Gretchen make for Jean in Chapter 8 in a gesture of friendship?

2. What is Jean's relationship with her colleagues like?

3. Who does Jean live with?

4. What does Jean give to Martha in Chapter 9, and why?

5. What is Jean's first impression of Howard?

6. What is Jean shocked to see on Gretchen's face in Chapter 8?

7. Who does Jean visit to try to corroborate Gretchen's story in Chapter 9?

8. What does Howard do for a living?

9. What does Martha tell Jean about Gretchen's story of immaculate conception?

10. What is Jean's relationship with her mother like?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Why does Gretchen really write to Jean's paper with her story of supposed immaculate conception? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 2

What are the core characteristics of Jean's relationship with her mother, and how does Chambers communicate these to the reader throughout the novel? Write an essay explaining your answers.

Essay Topic 3

For much of the novel, what is Jean's attitude towards men in general, and why has she arrived at this opinion/conclusions? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

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