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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. How does Marcelle die?

2. Why does the couple stop their trip home the first time?

3. What does Simone do once Marcelle is free?

4. What does the narrator compare the peeled bull testicles to?

5. Who delivers the eggs to the room?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the sexual fantasy of Simone and the narrator about Marcelle in Chapter 6.

2. Explain how Simone and the narrator travel to Spain undetected.

3. Explain how the death of Granero occurs, and the result of his death in terms of his eye.

4. In Chapter 6, the author purposefully italicizes the words "wide eyes" and "white eggs". What is the significance of this?

5. Based on the narrator's claims at the end of Chapter 6, what does the episode with eggs indicate about the future of the characters?

6. What tradition does Sir Edmond tell Simone of, and what is her response?

7. Explain why Simone and the narrator do not speak of eggs, or of any other portion of their unusual sexual relationship.

8. Why does the narrator claim he does not care for "normal" pleasures, and why even dirty pleasures have become unsatisfying?

9. What are the three things that fascinate Simone about bullfights?

10. What does the confusion between the cardinal and the narrator on the part of Marcelle seem to show?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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?

Essay Topic 2

Choose one of the following topics to discuss:

1.) Many have criticized the novel as being pornographic without a cause. What do you think the ending moral of the story is? Do you believe the author had a purpose in writing the novel? If so, what was it? If not, why did he write the novel?

2.) There are several graphical scenes in the novel that use harsh, if not crude, words. Do you believe the author could have achieved his goals in writing the novel without such harsh language? Why or why not? What is the purpose of such language within the context of the book? Does it serve a purpose? If so, what is it? If not, why was it used?

3.) There are several references to very unusual sexual acts within the novel. Do you feel these references were necessarily graphic? Why or why not? Did these graphic depictions serve a purpose in the novel? If so, what was it? If not, why was the author so graphic in his depictions?

Essay Topic 3

The narrator believes his search for unusual sexual behavior is somehow related to his and Simone's sense of modesty, in that they are seeking to combat modesty as completely as possible. Do you think this is the reason for their behavior? Why or why not? Do you believe some choose this path to counteract modesty? Why or why not? What else could be their reasons?

(see the answer keys)

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