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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 hobby does Laura take up?

2. In chapter 7, where was Laura during the time she was missing?

3. In what country is the novel set?

4. In what year is Iris writing her memoir?

5. What is the name of the Chase family's house?

Short Essay Questions

1. At the end of chapter 6, the man is writing a story including characters X, Y, Z, and B. What is this story about?

2. In chapter 4, X is hired to kill the king. How is X supposed to get close enough to the king to kill him?

3. In chapter 4, how does the woman feel about the man's story?

4. In chapter 1, do you think Iris is too concerned with maintaining appearances?

5. In chapter 1, Iris says "some people can't tell where it hurts. They can't calm down. They can't ever stop howling." Who do you think is/are the "they" she had in mind?

6. What is the fate of slave children who make the carpets in Sakiel-Norn?

7. How did the Snilfards prevent the sacrifice of their daughters?

8. According to the news article in chapter 4, how does Norval Chase respond to the economic depression?

9. In chapter 5, how do the two sisters feel toward their governess, Miss Violence?

10. Why is it awkward between Liliana and Norval Chase when he returns from the war?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Many of the characters have very strong beliefs for which they are willing to sacrifice their lives and their livelihoods. In fact, many of the character's deaths are directly or indirectly caused by their stubborn adherence to their belief system. Choose a character and detail that particular character's belief system and how it influences the way this character lives. Are these beliefs deeply ingrained enough that this character is willing to die or suffer for them or are they fluid depending on the social climate?

Essay Topic 2

Iris often reflects on the idea of heaven and hell. At the end of the novel, Iris comes to a conclusion about heaven and hell very similar to the conclusion drawn by the men in the story of the Peach Women of Aa'A. What is this conclusion? Using this conclusion, look at the settings in the story and determine whether these locations are representative of heaven or hell. Also, be sure to examine the significance of gardens and fire in terms of heaven and hell, as well as the implications of literary allusions, such as the importance of the literary roots of Xanadu and Avilion and Iris's name in the context of the passage from the Aeneid Laura leavers for her sister? Be sure to consider ways in which places that appear to be heaven can actually be hell and vice versa.

Essay Topic 3

In chapter 7, Iris says "the only way to write the truth is to assume that what you write down will never be read," yet she herself is ultimately writing with a particular audience in mind, Sabrina. Do you agree or disagree with Iris's statement? Why or why not? Furthermore, do you think that Iris's actions support her statement? Consider both Iris's memoir and her novel as examples of her writing. Is the novel true or not? She says that she originally writes it only for herself but then eventually publishes it, thus giving it to other people. How does this affect the truth contained within it?

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