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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. How does Cora feel about the baby in Chapter 8?

2. When will Offred take the doctor up on his offer in Chapter 4?

3. What kind of guerrillas does Offred see on the television in Chapter 6?

4. What do the women in the center whisper to each other at night?

5. What surrounded the center?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why is the doctor’s offer to Offred in Chapter 4 tempting?

2. What happened to Serena Joy that was traumatic in her earlier life?

3. In what context does Offred see an Econowife?

4. What is the purpose of the exercises that Offred does?

5. Why does Offred go back to the sitting room later that evening in Chapter 6?

6. Who is the girl in the photograph in Chapter 3, and how does the narrator respond to seeing it?

7. Why does Offred have to be especially careful on this assignment, according to Chapter 2?

8. Why did Offred and the other women take naps at the center?

9. How does the narrator feel about the Commander’s House in Chapter 2? Describe her surroundings as well as her reactions to them.

10. What does Offred’s mother say about her father?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Each role in the novel has a particular color associated with it – red for Handmaids, blue for Wives, and so on. Why are these colors important? Examine the importance and symbolism of various colors throughout the book, tying them to characterizations.

Essay Topic 2

Make-up is no longer available to any of the women in Gilead, except for those who work at Jezebel’s. In what way is make-up a significant symbol in “The Handmaid’s Tale”?

Essay Topic 3

The title of the book, “The Handmaid’s Tale,” is deceptively simple. What are the multiple meanings of this title? Why might Gilead have chosen the word “Handmaid” to describe the role of these women, rather than something else?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 523 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample