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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. Where does Iris find the things Laura had stashed away at Avilion?

2. What does the woman say is her salvation?

3. In chapter 9, the girls visit Reenie at what establishment where she works?

4. According to Laura, what individual does Richard claim told him of Alex Thomas's whereabouts?

5. Richard Griffen warns of what in Spain?

Short Essay Questions

1. At the end of the chapter, Iris hears something outside her window. What does she think it is and what is it really?

2. In chapter 13 what is the state of Iris and Richard's marriage?

3. In chapter 13, what revelation of Iris's sends Laura over the edge?

4. What message does Laura leave for Iris in her school notebooks?

5. In chapter 11, how does Laura send Iris a message and what does this message look like.

6. According to chapter 13, what pact had Laura made with God?

7. What does Laura say in chapter 11 that upsets Winifred?

8. How does Iris choose to respond to the message left by her sister?

9. What is the woman's attitude while aboard the cruise ship?

10. According to chapter 10, what is the political climate in Spain?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Though Port Ticonderoga is fictional, it is in many ways instrumental to the story of the Chase sisters' early life. Explain the significance of Port Ticonderoga and its history in relation to the story of the downfall of the Chase family dynasty. In what ways does having a fictional setting add to the novel and in what ways does it detract?

Essay Topic 2

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?

Essay Topic 3

In many ways, the man's story in 'The Blind Assassin' is his way of telling the woman how he feels about the society in which they live. Explain the significance of each of the man's stories in terms of what universal truth or social commentary he is attempting to communicate to the woman with the story. What people or groups of people do the characters in the man's stories represent? Why does the man use stories to convey his beliefs rather than a more straightforward form?

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