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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 Robert sleep when his father is away?

2. Who is the only person who is kind to Robert after the incident in the study?

3. Which of the following is NOT a location that Mary and Colin visit during this chapter?

4. Who does Mary tell Colin they should have brought with them on vacation?

5. Which of the following describes Mary and Colin's relationship at the opening of the novel?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. What are Mary and Colin looking for as they journey through the city? Why?

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

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

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

7. How does Robert's father react to him soiling his study? How does this make Robert feel?

8. Describe the setting of the first chapter

9. How does the author initially describe Robert?

10. Who do Mary and Colin notice outside of the street side cafe? How is he the same? How is he different?

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

Select the most sympathetic and least sympathetic characters in the novel. Write an essay:

1) describing why you think each is sympathetic/not sympathetic

2) defend your position using details from the novel

Essay Topic 3

The Comfort of Strangers presents two very different visions of romantic relationships. In your essay, compare and contrast the two couples in the novel focusing on:

1) the dynamics of their relationship

2) their ideals about love

3) their ideals about relationships between men and women.

Be sure to cite specific evidence from the novel to support your ideas.

(see the answer keys)

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