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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. Why are Mrs. Arbuthnot, Lady Caroline and Mrs. Fisher disappointed in Chapter 13?

2. How does Mrs. Fisher feel when she finds Mrs. Arbuthnot and Mrs. Wilkins in her sitting room area in Chapter 10?

3. What does Mr. Briggs think about Lady Caroline when he first sets eyes on her?

4. What does Mr. Briggs feel the need to confirm with Lady Caroline at the end of Chapter 18?

5. Why does Mellersh exit the bathroom wearing only a towel in Chapter 14?

Short Essay Questions

1. What do Lady Caroline, Mellersh and Mrs. Fisher decide about the food bill in Chapter 15?

2. What does Lady Caroline realize about herself in Chapter 16?

3. How does Mr. Briggs behave around Lady Caroline in Chapter 19? How do the others react to his behavior?

4. Who is Ferdinand Arundel?

5. Why doesn't Mrs. Arbuthnot wear a flower in her hair in Chapter 20?

6. Why is Lady Caroline displeased with Mrs. Fisher at the beginning of Chapter 10?

7. How does Mellersh fit in with the women as illustrated in Chapter 15?

8. What does Lady Caroline think of Ferdinand?

9. How do the four women react when Mrs. Wilkins' husband arrives in Chapter 14?

10. Is Mrs. Arbuthnot happy to see her husband at dinner or not? Does she believe he has responded to her letter?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Analyze the marriage between Mr. and Mrs. Arbuthnot. What troubles do they experience in their marriage at the beginning of the novel? How are these problems illustrated? Why does Mrs. Arbuthnot decide to invite Mr. Arbuthnot to the villa? How does the change of scenery help their marriage?

Essay Topic 2

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?

Essay Topic 3

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?

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