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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 does Gretchen do well?

2. What does Jean give to Martha on the spur of the moment when she visits Martha's apartment?

3. What does Jean write is excellent for cleaning carpets?

4. What does Gretchen's letter to the paper say?

5. Who is in an iron lung in St. Cecilia's?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. Who does Jean talk to to try to corroborate Gretchen's story in Chapter 5?

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

4. What does Howard do for a living?

5. How does Jean first meet Gretchen?

6. What does Jean think of Margaret when she first meets her?

7. What is the sole financial support for Jean and her mother/

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

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

10. What is Jean's job?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How and why does Chambers demonstrate that Howard is the one person Jean has ever told the story of her abortion to? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 2

How does Chambers treat the topics of trust and honesty, specifically as they relate to Gretchen's and Jean's relationship? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

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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