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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. According to Diomedes' directive in Part Two, Chapter Fourteen, Theo must stick to what?

2. What is the subject of the painting Alicia made while on trial for murder?

3. According to Theo in Part Two, Chapter Fifteen, the answers to the present could be found where?

4. According to Jean-Felix in Part Two, Chapter Twenty, which is Alicia's best work?

5. According to Alicia in Part Two, Chapter One, England in a heatwave feels like what country?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does the narrator describe Gabriel Berenson in Part One, Chapter One?

2. What happens in the play Alcestis, as Theo explains in Part Two, Chapter Twenty-One?

3. What information does Theo learn from Jean-Felix when he visits the gallery in Part Two, Chapters Nineteen and Twenty?

4. What paintings does Theo see when he visits the art gallery in Part Two, Chapter Twenty?

5. Why does Theo's former supervisor believe taking a job at the Grove is a bad idea?

6. According to the Prologue, how does Alicia feel about her husband?

7. What happens during Theo's visit with Ruth in Part Two, Chapter Nine?

8. What plan of inquiry does Theo outline in Part One, Chapter Eight?

9. What happens during Theo's session with Alicia in Part Two, Chapter Seven?

10. What does Theo resolve following his meeting with Ruth in Part Two, Chapter Nine? How does his mind change in the following chapter?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The epigraph to the second section of the novel comes from Freud: “Unexpressed emotions will never die. They are buried alive, and will come forth later, in uglier ways.” Explain how Freud’s ideas apply to both Alicia and Theo.

Essay Topic 2

Analyze the author’s choice to tell this story by using alternating perspectives. How does viewing the action through the eyes of both Theo and Alicia affect the story? How do the shifting timelines affect the story? How would the book be different if the story was told through just one of their perspectives?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the men in Alicia’s life: Gabriel, Max, Jean-Felix, and Theo. Is she loved by any of them? If so, which? What is the nature of this love? What point do you think the author is trying to make about love?

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