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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 book does Nick want to make a film of?

2. What does Ricky say he doesn't do?

3. What does Catherine do to amuse Nick when they are drinking?

4. Where does Nick plan on meeting Leo on their first date?

5. What artist paints the painting in the boardroom of the bank Nick visits?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the book that Lord Kessler shows Nick.

2. What is it about Nick that the Feddens trusted?

3. What is the Maltby scandal?

4. What is the tradition in the Fedden household having to do with the deer?

5. What acting experience has Sophie had?

6. Why does Nick think Leo is preoccupied with money?

7. Why doesn't Nick like Strauss?

8. How does Wani drink his coffee?

9. What does Toby say has been Sophie's father's most famous remark?

10. What is the difference of opinion between Polly and Nick about an eventual peerage for Bertrand Ouradi?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The context of the novel is Great Britain in the 1980s. How would the plot be different if it took place in another time period? Why is this time period necessary to reveal subtleties of plot --AIDS scare, economics, politics, etc.?

Essay Topic 2

Nick's thesis is on the "style that hides things and reveals things at the same time". Explain how this relates to the larger context of the novel. How does the concept of "style" play a role in the major characters' lives?

Essay Topic 3

Rachel refers to a politician's affair as "vulgar and unsafe." How do you see the homosexual encounters as portrayed in the text? Are they portrayed as vulgar or as beautiful? Why do you think Hollinghurst makes his scenes so explicit?

(see the answer keys)

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