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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. Where was Martin when Karen visited England?

2. According to Karen on page 181, how does she view her own memory?

3. On page 159, how does David describe the scandal surrounding Martin?

4. What does David reveal about Sarah's novel that shocks Karen on page 199?

5. According to Karen on page 197, how does she refuse to act around Martin?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the "Brotherhood" Karen discusses on page 150? For what is this brotherhood responsible, in Karen's opinion?

2. What is the subject matter of the play written by Martin?

3. According to Karen, what did she do following her graduation from high school? What did Sarah do?

4. How does Karen act around Martin, as revealed on page 197? How might her comments indicate her true feelings?

5. Why did Karen return to her hometown? What information does she reveal about her relationship with her mother?

6. As the second section of the novel begins, what does Karen reveal about the first section of the novel?

7. How does Karen's father help Karen prepare for Martin's play? What items does Karen get?

8. What does Karen do on the opening night of Martin's play? Why does she do this?

9. According to Karen at the start of the second section of the novel, what is the truth regarding the friendship between Sarah and Karen?

10. What personal issue has Karen discussed in therapy, as revealed on page 181? What does she reveal to the reader about this aspect of her personality?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay explaining the significance of the title of the novel, Trust Exercise. How does the title reflect the three protagonists? How does the title reflect the novel’s themes? How does the title’s meaning change over the course of the novel?

Essay Topic 2

Who is Velva? Discuss a possible theory for Velva’s identity, using examples from the text to support your ideas.

Essay Topic 3

Sarah finds herself involved in several conflicts during the first section of the novel. Choose one instance of internal conflict and one instance of external conflict, and explain how these conflicts have an impact on the story and the other characters.

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