1. What does Reta immerse herself in despite her continuing grief?
(a) The daily responsibilities of her home.
(b) The needs of her daughters.
(c) The fictional world of her characters.
(d) The trivial concerns about beauty.

2. What does Reta reveal about the first time she met Tom?
(a) She was seeing another man when they met.
(b) They disliked each other the first time they met.
(c) He was seeing another woman when they met.
(d) They were intimate the first time they met.

3. What troubles Norah when she comes home one weekend her second year at university?
(a) Norah is anxious about her decision to live with her boyfriend.
(b) Norah is upset that she cannot spend more time with her sisters.
(c) Norah is afraid that she will disappoint her parents by failing school.
(d) Norah is disturbed by the sense that she cannot love anyone enough.

4. What do Tom and the girls see as a contradiction about the American event they are fixated on?
(a) They see the presidential speech as a contradiction to the realities of the Iraq war.
(b) They see the Kentucky Derby as a contradiction to government regulation of gambling.
(c) They see the election results in Florida as a contradiction to the checks and balances system in the constitution.
(d) They see the Indy 500 as a contradiction to public concern for safety.

5. What does Reta bring Norah on the way to her appointment to have her eyebrows tinted?
(a) Shoes and books.
(b) Food and a warm coat.
(c) Books and a picture of Christine and Natalie.
(d) Food and a picture of Pet.