View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Why does Lizabeth say Matt enjoys violence?

2. What time does Lizabeth get to work in Chapter 7?

3. What are Matt and the dog doing on the porch after the fiasco in the kitchen?

4. What awakens Lizabeth the morning after her argument with Matt?

5. How long is the taxi ride in Chapter 8?

Short Essay Questions

1. What are the preconceptions Lizabeth has about Matt as a role model for her children that give her pause? Why do you think she is so concerned with those preconceptions?

2. Matt's strained relationship with his father is a source of aggravation for him. Though he doesn't tell Lizabeth the entire story, what happens in Chapter 7 to further bolster that explanation?

3. A comic moment takes place in Chapter 8 when Matt tackles the man he thinks is the flasher. Why did Matt tackle the man, and who is he?

4. There is an obvious use of irony in Chapter 9 when Richard Hastings makes a particular statement. What is that statement, and why is it ironic?

5. Lizabeth decides to question Matt point blank about what he would do in certain parental situations. What does she ask him, and how does he respond?

6. After arguing the night before, Lizabeth finds herself alone in the morning and much of the rest of the day. What does Matt say that expresses the confusion he is feeling about their relationship when they finally do meet up?

7. The reader learns more about Matt's childhood in Chapter 9 than throughout the rest of the book. Was his childhood happy? What happened to his mother? Describe his childhood relationship with his father.

8. Lizabeth seems to have many preconceived notions about what a perfect father should be. In her mind, Matt falls short in several of these categories. What does she say in Chapter 7 that expresses these notions and where Matt falls short?

9. Elsie and the boys are shocked by the condition of the kitchen when they arrive home. What do they see, and what is Matt's explanation for its state?

10. What makes "Smitten" a typical romance novel?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Tension is important in working a story toward its climax. There is much tension between Lizabeth and Matt, both physical and psychological. Give an example of tension from the novel. Identify the climax of the novel and describe in detail the importance to the climax of the example you selected.

Essay Topic 2

Character development can make or break a story. Underdeveloped characters can make the story insipid and boring. Overdeveloped characters can overwhelm a story and mitigate the importance of the other characters. Choose one character (other than Lizabeth or Matt) and describe his or her character development. In your opinion, is this character well-developed? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 3

True happiness seems to be the basis for most, if not all, romance novels. Both of the main characters are seeking true happiness by taking very different paths that somehow converge in the end. What path does Matt believe will lead to true happiness? Why do you think he believes this? What path does Lizabeth believe leads to true happiness? Why do you think that she believes this? At what point do their paths converge?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,229 words (approx. 5 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample