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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. After John died, where did Joan eat dinner?

2. What time was John pronounced dead?

3. How much snow fell on Joan's birthday in 2003?

4. How many cases of sudden death from cardiac arrest typically occurred at home?

5. Who was John's editor at "The New Yorker"?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why did Joan use to tell John her dreams.

2. What would John and Joan do after the 1992 Democratic convention?

3. Where did John and Joan meet the Blacks?

4. What book did Joan receive from Princeton late in the summer?

5. Some people think that their deceased loved one can be seen or heard. Did Joan believe that she could see or hear John?

6. Over the years, what would Dominique do with Quintana?

7. Why wouldn't the funeral be the worst thing that a grieving person had to experience?

8. What did Joan argue about with a doctor after Quintana had been intubated for almost a week?

9. How did Joan wear rings and why?

10. What little things could Joan do for Quintana when she was at Rusk Institute?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

From the time Joan was a child, she thought a great deal about meaninglessness. Discuss how Joan found meaning in her life, giving examples and quotes from the book.

Essay Topic 2

All her life, Joan turned to literature in times of trouble and John's death was no different. Compare the different types of literature that Joan read to help her cope with her grief and why some were more helpful than others. Give specific titles and examples from the book in support of your discussion.

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the overall mood of the book and give examples of the change in mood from the beginning of the novel to the end.

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