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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. Why does the narrator run from the building?

2. Why does Simone claim she removed her clothing?

3. Who is called at the end of Chapter 2?

4. What does the couple imagine Marcelle doing at the beginning of Chapter 4?

5. How does the narrator access the inside of the building?

Short Essay Questions

1. What contrasting image does the author give between Simone and Marcelle at the end of Chapter 4? What else could this comparison represent?

2. Explain why, despite being modest, Simone and the narrator have the relationship they have?

3. Explain what happens to Marcelle in Chapter 1.

4. Explain the mother's first encounter with the couple in their actions, and her reaction, as well as their reaction to the mother.

5. How is the violence of the thunderstorm linked to the violence of the actions of Simone and the narrator in Chapter 1?

6. What does Simone develop an urge to do with eggs at the beginning of Chapter 2?

7. How does the narrator explain Marcelle's features as she gazes at the ocean?

8. What does the couple see almost immediately after entering the sanitarium grounds, and how do they know this indicates Marcelle is involved?

9. Explain what Marcelle does during the orgy, and once the narrator lets her go.

10. How do the parents find out about the orgy, and what do the parents do when they discover what has occurred?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Throughout the novel, sexual gratification and violence appear to go hand in hand. Discuss this idea in depth. Why is sex and violence tied together in the novel? What are some examples of this theme? What are the narrator's thoughts on this particular link? What does this idea lead the teens to do?

Essay Topic 2

Marcelle is transformed in the novel from a mutual, pious friend of Simone and the narrator to an insane, suicidal sexually deviant psychopath. Explain how and why this transformation occurred. What were signs in the novel that indicated these changes in Marcelle? What pushed her along the path of madness? What role did Simone and the narrator play in this path? What was the end result? Why?

Essay Topic 3

Compare and contrast the characters of Simone and Marcelle. What are their similarities? What are their differences? Why does each character change as they do throughout the novel? What are the motivations for their behaviors? What causes them to go insane? Who is responsible for their downward spirals? Why?

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