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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. What does Marion see being taken away from Hortensia's home?

2. How does Hortensia feel when she learns of Peter's daughter?

3. Who wishes to bury her ashes on Hortensia's property?

4. What is Marion's profession?

5. Who is Mr. Marx?

Short Essay Questions

1. What happens when Hortensia tries to apologize to Marion?

2. What was Marion’s relationship with her parents like?

3. How does Marion’s daughter Marelena feel about Marion’s displacement from home?

4. Why does Beulah Gierdien write a letter to the Katterijn community?

5. How does Hortensia feel when Peter dies?

6. Why does Hortensia walk to the Koppie?

7. What does Chapter Seven reveal about why Marion became an architect?

8. Why does Mr. Marx insist that Hortensia meet Esme?

9. What is Marion’s current financial predicament in Chapter Three?

10. Why does Dr. Mama visit Hortensia? What is their interaction like?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Analyze the interaction between Hortensia and Esme. How does Hortensia initially feel about meeting the woman, and what causes her to eventually do so? How does she come away from the meeting different?

Essay Topic 2

How do the flashback scenes serve the overall narrative of the novel? What information do we learn from these scenes?

Essay Topic 3

Why do you think the author chose to situate the novel in the neighborhood of Katterijn specifically? What details about the neighborhood contribute to the plot and themes of the novel?

(see the answer keys)

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