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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. At the beginning of Chapter Twenty, where do the police announce they have located Midas's blanket?

2. What bad news does Nell receive from her boss in Chapter Thirteen?

3. What was it that caused Token to suddenly turn back toward his apartment when he was out walking?

4. Why is Francie so insistent on talking to Scarlett?

5. When Francie talks to Token in his apartment, whom does she begin to suspect he knew based on his remarks?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is ironic about Ghosh's Chapter Twenty press conference statement that everyone involved in the investigation has done "a stellar job" (276)?

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

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

4. What does Francie read in Scarlett's journal, and what does this journal entry make clear to the reader?

5. How does the book's epilogue convey the lasting damage that Midas's abduction has caused Winnie?

6. How does Francie feel about her mother-in-law, and why?

7. What is the scandal that disrupted Nell's life many years ago?

8. What item is delivered to all three women--Nell, Francie, and Colette--and what does it contain?

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

10. How does Chapter Seventeen open, and what does this opening make clear about Nell and Sebastian's relationship?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How realistic are the changes in Winnie described in the book's epilogue? What has changed in her thinking about other people? How has she changed as a mother? Do some research into the lasting impact of crime on victims, especially the kidnapping of a child. Write an essay in which you use details and language from the epilogue to demonstrate exactly how Midas's kidnapping has changed Winnie and then provide information from research as you evaluate how realistic this ending is. Be sure to cite any quoted evidence and evidence drawn from outside sources in MLA format.

Essay Topic 2

Now that you have finished the book, you are aware of the sequence of events that led Scarlett to kidnap Midas and what Scarlett hoped would be the result of her actions. How does this relate to Midas's name? What elements of the King Midas story do you see reflected in Scarlett's choices and their outcomes? In the original story, the audience is meant to judge King Midas for his greed and lack of forethought--but does Molloy seem to be encouraging her reader to judge Scarlett in this way? What mitigating effect does Scarlett's state of mind have on the reader's judgment of her? How do the social pressures on women that this book explores provide an additional mitigating factor? Write an essay in which you explore how Molloy intends the reader to interpret the allusion to King Midas. 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.

Essay Topic 3

How are the heterosexual relationships in The Perfect Mother similar to and different from the same-sex friendships portrayed in the novel? Consider the variety and complexity of the current partnerships between the women and their children's fathers as well as the women's previous sexual and romantic relationships. Also think about the number of abusive or coercive encounters with men that the main female characters have had, and consider what message these are conveying. Write an essay that compares and contrasts the qualities of the female friendships and the heterosexual romantic/sexual relationships portrayed in the novel. Support your assertions with evidence drawn from throughout the text; be sure to cite any quoted evidence in MLA format.

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