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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 breed of dog is mentioned in this chapter?

2. What literary device is represented by 'sinister beauty'?

3. What does Laura seem to have learned through her time in the kitchen with Richie?

4. How does Virginia get along with her neighbors?

5. What information does Nelly give Virginia?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is Virginia's attitude toward Vanessa's children?

2. Why is Richard's nickname for Clarissa ('Mrs Dalloway') an appropriate choice?

3. How does Laura plan to compensate for her neglect of Dan and Richie at breakfast?

4. What are Laura's feelings about her son?

5. Account for Virginia's idea that death means freedom.

6. Why is Laura fearful of Richie making an error as he helps her make the cake?

7. How does Laura attempt to achieve perfection?

8. Why is Clarissa hurt about Sally going out to lunch with Oliver St. Ives?

9. As presented in this chapter, what is Clarissa Vaughan's attitude to life?

10. What is unusual about the headache Virginia suffers?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Writing has been said to hold a mirror to life. What do you see of life in The Hours and how is this vision significant?

Essay Topic 2

What does the novel The Hours have to say to us about human love and human frailty? Express your ideas with close reference to the text.

Essay Topic 3

Much of the novel, The Hours, deals with characters' views of themselves and their fears concerning failure. Are these people actually successful, and in which ways or spheres of endeavor?

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