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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. The novel's epigraph is a quote by which author?

2. Cecilia realizes with a shock in Chapter 7 that she and John-Paul have been abstinent for how many months in a row?

3. In what year was Janie murdered?

4. In what location does Cecilia find a mysterious letter at the start of the novel?

5. For what reason is Cecilia sure that John-Paul is not having an affair?

Short Essay Questions

1. To what conclusions does Lucy come regarding the development of a relationship between Will and Felicity?

2. For what object had Cecilia been searching prior to the novel's opening?

3. What event finally prompts Cecilia to read the mysterious letter?

4. Of what cause did Ed officially die and how does his official cause of death differ from Rachel's ideas?

5. What information about their father John-Paul do Cecilia's daughters share with her before she opens the letter?

6. With what event in Felicity's life do her feelings for Will occur concurrently?

7. How does Moriarty introduce paradoxical qualities of family bonds within the narrative?

8. Who is the only person besides Rachel who knows about her tardiness to her meeting with Janie on the day of Janie's murder?

9. When Cecilia comes to believe that she is having a nervous breakdown over John-Paul's news, what is her reaction to the realization and why?

10. What is the reason for Rachel's guilt about the day of Janie's murder?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What is the function of Felicity's character within the novel? Discuss the characterization methods used by Moriarty in depicting Tess’s cousin Felicity and include in your discussion the reasons that Moriarty portrays Felicity in these particular ways.

Essay Topic 2

What messages does Moriarty send to the audience about the themes of isolation and outreach?

Essay Topic 3

Choose an object from The Husband's Secret, such as the compass or the hot cross buns, or some other symbolic object within the narrative. Discuss the symbol's overall meaning and its connection to themes within the text.

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