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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. Who has the second document left to the narrator by Mrs. Ford, according to Mrs. Marriott in Chapter 2?

2. Who sang the song "Elusive Butterfly"?

3. What word from Chapter 2 refers to resembling a satirical poem that often ends with a turn of thought?

4. What does the narrator say he had been "ever since [he] left school" in Chapter 2 (188)?

5. Which of the "two sorts of women" does the narrator assert Margaret to be in Chapter 2 (124)?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the second document bequeathed to the protagonist? Why does he seek its ownership?

2. What is revealed in the letter from Sarah Ford to the protagonist in the first document he receives?

3. What does the protagonist discover about Chislehurst when he googles the setting in Chapter 2?

4. What advice does Margaret give to the protagonist when she first meets him for lunch to discuss his situation in Chapter 2?

5. Who does Veronica point out to the protagonist during their third meeting in Chapter 2? What information does she reveal to the protagonist during this meeting?

6. What are the two types of women that the protagonist recalls Margaret discussing with him in Chapter 2? Which characters fall into these categories?

7. What does the protagonist conclude about his journey and life in the conclusion of the novel?

8. What exchange takes place between the protagonist and Veronica during their second meeting at the brasserie in Chapter 2?

9. What is revealed in the envelope that Veronica gives to the protagonist at the Wobbly Bridge?

10. Why does the protagonist surmise that Veronica gave him the letter and met him in person (for their first meeting) in Chapter 2?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Analyze and discuss the protagonist and narrator of The Sense of an Ending. What is the protagonist's name? What aspects of his character stand out? How old is the narrator in Chapters 1 and 2? How does his character develop over the course of the story?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the theme of time in The Sense of an Ending. What commentary does the narrator make on the passage of time? How does the passage of time change in a person's life? How does the theme of time relate to the theme of memory?

Essay Topic 3

Where does the narrator travel after completing his studies at Bristol? Why does he travel to this location? How is this setting described? Whom does the narrator meet here?

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