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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. In segment 14, who is an American woman from Boston that runs a house in Paris?
(a) Jean Thomas.
(b) Betty Fernandez.
(c) Harriet Lagonelle.
(d) Marie-Claude Carpenter.

2. Who actively supports the older brother's behavior?
(a) The narrator.
(b) The mother.
(c) The younger brother.
(d) The lover.

3. In segment 14, which of the following character or characters in the novel does the narrator state she remembers with the most clarity?
(a) The two women who ran the houses in Paris.
(b) Her father.
(c) Her mother.
(d) Her teachers.

4. In what year does the younger brother die?
(a) 1983.
(b) 1929.
(c) 1942.
(d) 1945.

5. What is the momentous turning point in the life of the narrator?
(a) The death of the mother.
(b) Her return to Paris.
(c) Her graduation from school.
(d) The meeting and affair with the lover.

6. How does the lover describe his life in Paris, where he was a student?
(a) He was depressed and withdrawn.
(b) He worked hard in his studies.
(c) He lived in idle indulgence.
(d) He worked hard at a job.

7. According to the narrator, what showed things as they really were?
(a) Her own memories.
(b) Photos taken in professional sessions.
(c) Portraits drawn by a professional artist.
(d) Photos taken by visitors or strangers.

8. How does the narrator describe the body of the lover?
(a) Androgynous.
(b) Feminine.
(c) Deformed.
(d) Masculine.

9. When does the narrator see imperfection in the lover?
(a) When he explains how his father amassed his wealth.
(b) When he becomes acquainted with the family.
(c) When he turns down the sexual advances of the narrator.
(d) When he refuses to pay a restaurant bill.

10. Who controlled when and where the lover and the narrator would meet?
(a) The mother.
(b) The older brother.
(c) The narrator.
(d) The lover.

11. Towards the end of her life, the mother groomed herself for one final professional photograph. What was done to this photograph?
(a) It was thrown out by the narrator.
(b) It was sold by the older brother.
(c) It was retouched to make her look artifical.
(d) It was never developed properly.

12. What does the narrator realize about the lover even upon the first meeting?
(a) He has no real interest in her.
(b) He is an intimidating person.
(c) He wants to marry her.
(d) He is afraid of her and she has power over him.

13. What group did the narrator join after the war?
(a) The French Socialist Party.
(b) The Young Politicians.
(c) The Literary Guild.
(d) The French Communist Party.

14. Who does the narrator mainly dance with at the nightclubs?
(a) Other girl friends.
(b) The mother.
(c) The lover.
(d) The brothers.

15. What does the lover have difficulty doing?
(a) Entertaining the narrator.
(b) Driving a car.
(c) Paying attention to the narrator.
(d) Expressing his feelings.

Short Answer Questions

1. At the end of their relationship, what is true about the lover?

2. How does the narrator feel about her situation as a "kept woman"?

3. How does the mother feel about the older brother?

4. What is the relationship between the lover and the narrator based on?

5. Why can't the narrator turn to her family for support in her isolation?

(see the answer keys)

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