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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. When Francie sees Winnie outside the Spot, what do the details of Winnie's appearance imply is true?

2. What does the narrator think is the reason that Joshua is waiting for her to solve all of their problems?

3. What object does the narrator obsess about at the beginning of Chapter Nineteen?

4. How does Token feel after handing over the information to Elliott Falk?

5. In Chapter Nineteen, whom does the narrator say showed up and distracted her today?

Short Essay Questions

1. When Francie enters Winnie's home, what is the detail that she "can't help but notice," and what does this detail imply (265)?

2. In Chapter Fourteen, what causes Colette to jump to the conclusion that Midas is dead?

3. What are the implications of the papers that Francie finds in Scarlett's desk drawer?

4. In Chapter Fifteen, what promise does the narrator remember making and then immediately breaking?

5. What frightening event happens while Colette is on the subway, and how does she react?

6. How does Francie's mental state both help and hinder the efforts to find Midas?

7. When Token shows up at Francie's apartment in Chapter Twenty, what does he reveal about his long-ago arrest?

8. When Colette and Nell see Winnie's interview with the police, what causes them to worry about Winnie's mental health?

9. In Chapter Twenty-One, what does the reader learn about Dr. H?

10. What are Nell's motivations for ignoring her own standards in order to accept and keep the job at Simon French?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In what sense does Gossip! magazine embody everything that The Perfect Mother is claiming is wrong with contemporary media? What factors influence the choices this magazine's staff makes, and how much weight do they give to truth and the social impact of their choices? Consider the magazine's name and the role that gossip plays in this novel as well as the way the women are portrayed in this magazine and women's role in creating and supporting this portrayal. Write an essay that makes and defends a claim about the rhetorical function of including Gossip! magazine in this novel. Support your assertions with evidence drawn from throughout the text; be sure to cite any quoted evidence in MLA format.

Essay Topic 2

Francie's financial circumstances make her particularly susceptible to stressors like Midas's disappearance. Now that you have finished the book, though, you also know that Francie's sensitivities are what lead to the recovery of Midas. Is this simply a matter of the characterization of Francie, or is the book making a larger point about the costs and benefits of being at the center versus being at the margins? Do Nell's and Colette's relative security make them less sensitive to what is happening around them? Write an essay that considers this larger picture of whether or not the text is arguing that financial security can contribute to less awareness of others. Support your assertions with evidence drawn from throughout the text; be sure to cite any quoted evidence in MLA format.

Essay Topic 3

Which conventions of the domestic thriller does Molloy observe? Which does she ignore or even actively subvert? How do these choices impact the reader? What messages might Molloy be trying to convey through these choices? Write an essay in which you consider the expectations a reader has of domestic thrillers and what Molloy accomplishes through fulfilling some of these expectations but not others. Support your assertions with evidence drawn from throughout the text; be sure to cite any quoted evidence and evidence drawn from outside sources in MLA format.

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This section contains 1,350 words (approx. 5 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample