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. Who does not appear at the house with the other parents at the beginning of Chapter 3?

2. What does the narrator threaten in a note to his mother?

3. What does Marcelle do when she sees the couple?

4. What does the couple see on a sheet in a window?

5. What does the narrator blame for he and Simone's actions?

Short Essay Questions

1. Explain the mother's second encounter with the couple in their actions, and her reaction as well as the reaction of the couple.

2. Explain the narrator's trip through the sanitarium.

3. In Chapter 3, the narrator contemplates suicide. Explain why, and what happens to change his mind.

4. Explain what the narrator thinks as he chases down the unknown naked woman, and the reality of who the woman is.

5. What is Simone wearing when the narrator and she first have a sexual experience at the villa?

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

7. How does the narrator equate sex and violence?

8. Explain what the narrator does after fleeing the orgy and before seeking Simone.

9. What has happened to Marcelle after the orgy? How does the couple discover what has happened to Marcelle? What do they think of doing to help her?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Throughout the novel, there are several references to both the eye and the egg, and both seem to be related by the end of the novel. Discuss ways in which the eye and the egg are used in the novel to convey thoughts and concepts. Be sure to examine specific instances in detail. What are similarities? What are differences? What are different ways in which these items are associated? How are they used in the novel? What do they represent?

Essay Topic 2

Several times throughout the novel, the author equates orgasm to death. Explore this connection in depth. Why would such a connection exist? In what ways does the author link these two concepts? What is his purpose for this link? How does this link represent the lives of Simone and the narrator? Does this point come across clearly? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 3

The novel begins with the discovery of unusual sexual practices by two teenagers, and ends with the murder and mutilation of a priest for sexual gratification. Discuss, in detail, the journey of Simone and the narrator, and discuss the events which led to their downward spiral into murder. Be sure to include the involvement of parents, other associates, and the activities participated in.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 967 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample