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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 many babies are currently born disfigured, according to Chapter 8?

2. What was the center called?

3. Who is Offred looking for in Chapter 8?

4. According to Chapter 6, when will Offred go to the Commander’s office?

5. How old is Offred’s daughter now?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why is it significant that the women discuss their names at the beginning of the novel?

2. How does the Commander act before and during the ceremony in Chapter 6?

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

4. Why does the narrator start thinking about Moira at night in Chapter 3?

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

6. What tone do the women take with Janine?

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

8. Who from the first chapter appears again later in the novel?

9. If Luke is in jail in Chapter 7, what happened to him?

10. What does Offred do after exercising in Chapter 5?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Every other chapter in the book is entitled “Night”. Why might this be the case? How is Night significant for Offred, and what is it placed in contrast to?

Essay Topic 2

Offred writes about having taken certain things for granted in her earlier life. Write an essay in which you discuss which things in particular she took for granted, and why. What are some things which she always valued, by contrast?

Essay Topic 3

In the book, the Commander states that better doesn’t mean better for everyone; it always means worse, for some. What is the significance of this in the context of Gilead? Give concrete and specific examples to illustrate this statement and explore its significance.

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