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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. How old is Chief Inspector Sangha?

2. At the end of Part 2, Chapter 9, when is Professor Fosca's next lecture?

3. What did Henry study at the university before he had a breakdown?

4. What tearoom does Tara's bedder take Mariana to?

5. How long has it been in Chapter 1 since Sebastian died?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the room like where Mariana stays at the college?

2. What does Mariana find outside her door in Part 2, Chapter 15?

3. How long has it been since Sebastian died, and why is it difficult for Mariana to be at Cambridge?

4. How did Mariana meet Sebastian?

5. How does Mariana describe Professor Fosca as a speaker when she and Zoe attend one of his lectures?

6. Why does Zoe think it is her fault that Tara is dead?

7. Who is Clarissa Miller, and how have she and Mariana kept in touch?

8. What does Zoe say when Mariana asks her if she is seeing anyone?

9. Why does Mariana realize she is going to need to deal with Henry when she returns home?

10. How did Sebastian die?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

An epiphany is a realization that can be enlightening and help solve a situation or problem. What epiphany does Mariana have about her father? What epiphany does the journal writer (Sebastian) have about his mother? Do these epiphanies have a positive or negative effect on Mariana and on Sebastian’s lives?

Essay Topic 2

A red herring is information that misleads readers. What are some red herrings in The Maidens? How do red herrings deceive characters and readers? How do the red herrings create twists in the plot and suspense in the narrative?

Essay Topic 3

Clarissa tells Mariana to read “In Memoriam A.H.H.” by Tennyson. Why does Clarissa tell Marissa to read the poem? Does the poem help Mariana with her grief?

(see the answer keys)

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