View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Where do Mary and Colin believe they will find an open restaurant at the end of the first chapter?

2. Which of the following is NOT a unique characteristic of the bar Robert takes Mary and Colin to?

3. What does the couple do each evening on the balcony of their hotel room?

4. What are Mary and Colin searching for in the morning?

5. What do Mary and Colin notice about Robert's appearance once they have been in the bar for some time?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is unusual about Robert's interactions with Mary and Colin in this chapter?

2. Where does Robert take Mary and Colin to eat? Describe this setting.

3. Describe the setting around the tourist attraction clock tower.

4. Describe the gallery in Robert and Caroline's apartment

5. How are Mary and Colin's views on feminism demonstrated through their reactions to a poster hanging on the wall of a Venice building?

6. How is Mary's reaction to Robert different from Colin's?

7. Describe the event that led Robert's sisters to despise him.

8. Describe the notebook Mary keeps as a thirteen-year-old. Why is her mind drawn to this memory while vacationing?

9. How does Mary and Colin's relationship with the hotel maid change over the course of their vacation?

10. Describe the display in the department store window that both Mary and Colin comment on.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

While Mary's children never appear in the novel, their influence is felt on the story. In your essay:

1) describe Mary's children and their life circumstances.

2) discuss at least two events where the children play a role in the scene

3) discuss the significance of the children in the scene. What do they represent?

Cite several specific examples from the novel to support your ideas.

Essay Topic 2

One of the themes in this novel is the concept of gender roles. Discuss the ways that this theme plays out in the novel and the overarching message about gender that the author is trying to make. Be sure to cite specific evidence from the novel to support your ideas.

Essay Topic 3

Despite the warning signs Mary and Colin are given about Robert and Caroline's motives, the couple still remains in their company. In your essay:

1) describe at least two "warnings" that should have drawn Mary and Colin's attention to the danger they were about to encounter

2) discuss how Mary and Colin choose to react instead

3) discuss what you think (as a reader) motivates the couple to ignore these signs.

Cite several specific examples from the novel to support your ideas.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,086 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample