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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 is the name of Iris's daughter?

2. What does the man omit from the published story that distresses the woman?

3. The man tells the woman a story about the Peach Women of what planet?

4. How does Richard react to the news that Laura has been expelled?

5. According to Laura, why was she sent to the mental institution?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. In chapter 10, the woman imagines the man in a variety of situations. Describe one of these situations.

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

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

5. According to chapter 11, how does the adult Aimee feel towards her mother and why?

6. Why is Laura kicked out of her school?

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

8. What are Winifred's feelings toward Iris's pregnancy?

9. In chapter 12, what is the significance of the yellow curtains?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

Throughout the novel, the characters, particularly Laura and Iris, make decisions because they are misinformed or ignorant. Discuss the significance of ignorance and oblivion in the novel. According to the woman, she is with the man for oblivion. Does this oblivion necessitate the ignorance regarding the events taking place around her? In what ways does oblivion or ignorance help the characters and in what way does it hinder them? On the other hand, are there any instances in which knowledge is a hindrance?

Essay Topic 3

Water related images pervade the novel. What do you think the water symbolizes and why do you think the author chose water? Cite at least three water images from the novel, making sure to explain them both in their immediate context and the context of the novel as a whole.

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