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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. Where will Laura put her robe?

2. How does this chapter begin?

3. In what way does Oliver intend this film to be different?

4. How much of her book has Laura now read?

5. What does Laura remember being sold in novelty shops?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is Richard's most precious memory of Clarissa?

2. What do the two women exchange as Laura prepares to return home?

3. What is ironic about Richard's apartment being open to the light?

4. In what way is Laura's ambivalence towards her husband evident in Chapter 19 of The Hours?

5. What does Louis think of Clarissa?

6. Why is suicide not an option for Laura?

7. What does Virginia see as a kind of devil?

8. Which character is referred to as the subjugated Amazon Queen?

9. What gives Laura the feeling that she has actually succeeded in achieving a kind of perfection?

10. Why does Laura delay joining her husband in bed as his birthday draws to an end?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

How do the various characters in The Hours by Michael Cunningham deal with the disappointments in their lives? Focus on three characters. What kinds of disappointments are faced? Do the characters deal with their difficulties successfully, or not?

Essay Topic 3

How can knowledge of the context in which literature was composed deepen a reader's appreciation of the text? In your answer, refer closely to The Hours by Michael Cunningham, but you might expand your response by including reference to an additional text.

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