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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 Paloma escaping?

2. How does Renee feel before Kakuro?

3. Why does Paloma prefer her aunt and uncle to her own parents?

4. What does Renee tell Columbe?

5. How does Kakuro ask Renee to dinner?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Paloma find interesting about the new tenant as concerns her mother?

2. Why does Paloma's mother take her to a therapist and what fascinates her about him?

3. What happens when Renee goes to the cleaners to retrieve the beige dress?

4. Why does Paloma prefer her aunt and uncle over her own parents?

5. What do Renee and Manuela discuss concerning Renee's upcoming dinner date?

6. How does Renee give herself away as far as her intelligence to the new tenant?

7. What does Manuela tell Renee about Kakuro's apartment, and what is Renee's response?

8. Who wakes Renee at seven and what does Renee tell the person?

9. What does Paloma feel and think when she hears her school choir singing?

10. Why does Paloma displease a teacher at her school?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Oftentimes, a book has more of a character-driven plot rather than action driven, and oftentimes the other way. Some books seem to balance the two. Discuss the following:

1. What do you think it means to say that a plot is character driven? Action driven?

2. How do you think a plot differs if it is character driven versus action driven?

3. Which type of plot do you find more interesting? Why?

4. Do you think it is possible to have a plot where action and character development share equal time? Why or why not.

5. What type of plot do you think "The Elegance of the Hedgehog" is? Explain your response.

Essay Topic 2

"The Elegance of the Hedgehog" belongs to the novel genre. Discuss the following:

1. Define the literary term "genre" and give several examples of three other genres in addition to the novel genre.

2. Discuss two reasons why it might be useful to label a text by genre and two reasons it might be disadvantageous to label a text by genre.

3. What do you think is the difference between a novel and a historical novel?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss one of the following:

1. Trace and analyze the theme of growth in "The Elegance of the Hedgehog". Consider the following questions as you write: What characters are most concerned with growth? Why? What are some symbols of growth? Symbols of rigidity? What characters seem rigid?

2. Trace and analyze the theme of being yourself in this book. Which characters struggle with this issue? Why? Which characters seem to hide themselves? Why?

3. Trace and analyze the theme of death in "The Elegance of the Hedgehog". Consider not just the physical deaths which take place but any changes that may be a type of death.

(see the answer keys)

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