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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 does Mrs. Arbuthnot playfully remind Mrs. Wilkins of in Chapter 6?

2. What does Mrs. Arbuthnot imagine will happen when she and her husband are old?

3. How much is the rent for the Italian villa?

4. How do Mrs. Wilkins and Mrs. Arbuthnot forget about their argument in Chapter 8?

5. What does Mrs. Arbuthnot realize about both she and Mrs. Wilkins in Chapter 1?

Short Essay Questions

1. What are Mrs. Arbuthnot's and Mrs. Wilkins' first impression of the villa in Chapter 5?

2. What does Lady Caroline reflect on as she watches Mrs. Wilkins and Mrs. Arbuthnot in Chapter 8?

3. What does Mrs. Wilkins admire and appreciate when she awakes in Chapter 6?

4. What do Costanza and Domenico want from Lady Caroline in Chapter 8?

5. Why does Mrs. Fisher ask for references in Chapter 3? How do Mrs. Wilkins and Mrs. Arbuthnot react to this?

6. How does the Italian scenery affect Mrs. Arbuthnot and Mrs. Wilkins?

7. Why does Mrs. Arbuthnot believe that she and Mrs. Wilkins should be running things at San Salvatore?

8. Describe Mrs. Fisher's lunch scene in Chapter 9.

9. How does Mrs. Arbuthnot spend most of her time as explained in Chapter 2?

10. Who is the owner of the Italian villa and what does the leasing process entail?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Analyze and interpret the secondary characters of the novel. Who are they and what are their defining character traits? How are they related to the four women? What are their roles in the novel?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the motif of loneliness. Who is lonely at the beginning of the novel and why? How does she (or they) open themselves up to others? How does she (or they) express their loneliness and desire for friendships?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the setting of the novel. In what way is the setting an important aspect of this story? How does the Italian setting contrast with the London setting? How does the Italian setting help to transform the four women?

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