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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. Reviewing her father's papers, the narrator discovers

2. The narrator believes Joe first liked her because

3. At the end of the chapter the narrator reveals the attitude that

4. As she travels through the town, the narrator feels

5. David slips in and out of "a yokel dialect," which implies

Short Essay Questions

1. When the narrator discovers that the other campers are Canadian, not American as she had suspected, what new fear grips her.

2. What is significant about the narrator's description of the herons?

3. What does the narrator decide about being a victim?

4. What images or ideas related to identity do we get in the beginning of the novel?

5. Why does the narrator take Joe outside in order to have sex with him?

6. The narrator says that living on the island felt "normal" to her, which suggests what about her personality?

7. What perceptions do her guests have of the town?

8. When the narrator reviews old photos she claims to see the missing part of herself. What is the missing part?

9. Describe the character of Paul.

10. Why does the narrator assume the old town priest is dead?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Consider the following quote by Rainer Maria Rilke: "Just as language has no longer anything in common with the thing it names, so the movements of most of the people who live in cities have lost their connection with the earth; they hang, as it were, in the air, hover in all directions, and find no place where they can settle." Write an essay in which you defend, refute, or qualify Rilke's statement, using Atwood's novel as the basis for your argument.

Essay Topic 2

Consider the motif of isolation in Atwood's novel. Write an essay in which you explore the connotation of isolation and identify examples of isolation in the text that contribute to Atwood's message.

Essay Topic 3

What does the author seem to indicate about the power of language in the text? What statements or scenes reveal her purpose in emphasizing language in the novel? Write an essay in which you identify Atwood's message about language and its power or limitations.

(see the answer keys)

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