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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. What happens between the narrator and Joe while picking blueberries?

2. What is Bill Malmstrom's purpose in visiting the island?

3. The description of the tourists who visit the town implies

4. When Paul sees the narrator

5. Reviewing her father's papers, the narrator discovers

Short Essay Questions

1. What is suggested by Anna's statements about her make-up?

2. What change has occurred in the narrator's views on fishing and hunting?

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

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. Why does the narrator refuse to believe David and Anna's story about her father?

7. Describe the narrator's relationship with her former lover.

8. Describe the experience the narrator has with her mother.

9. How does David feel about Americans?

10. What is suggested by the group's ignorance about nature?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Consider the statement, "Man masters nature not by force but by understanding." Write an essay in which you defend, refute, or qualify this statement using Atwood's novel as the basis for your argument.

Essay Topic 2

The narrator describes one part of herself as "missing." What other instances in the book suggest that something or someone is "missing," and what is significant about this term? Discuss the connotations of the word and a possible message Atwood might reveal through the concept of "missing" people, places, or things.

Essay Topic 3

The three settings frequently mentioned in the novel--the city, the town, and the island--all carry different connotations. Considering the connotations of each, write an essay in which you explore the meaning of each setting and its significance to the narrator's development.

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