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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What word does Norah have written on the cardboard sign on her chest?
(a) Happiness.
(b) Love.
(c) Peace.
(d) Goodness.

2. Why does Arthur ask Reta to send him a draft?
(a) So that he can help her in the writing of it.
(b) So that he can share it with his colleagues.
(c) So that he can make sure she is doing a good job.
(d) So that he can correct her grammar.

3. Who does Reta go see after her encounter with Norah in early November?
(a) Danielle Westerman.
(b) Alexander Valkner.
(c) Emma Allen.
(d) Mr. Scribano.

4. What is the first subject Reta and her writer friends discuss at the Orange Blossom Room?
(a) The path to enlightenment.
(b) The nature of goodness.
(c) The loss of truth.
(d) The way to forgiveness.

5. What is Reta's struggle about what a writer of fiction should give the reader?
(a) How many metaphors and similes should be used.
(b) How many points of view should be given.
(c) How much background information should be given.
(d) How much her characters should be like her readers.

6. What American event are Tom and the girls presently fixated on as they watch the news?
(a) The State of the Union address.
(b) The presidential election.
(c) The Kentucky Derby.
(d) The Indy 500.

7. According to Reta, what is the most important aspect in her life?
(a) Her husband.
(b) Her children.
(c) Her writing career.
(d) Her home.

8. What is the subject of the new book Tom is reading?
(a) Mites.
(b) Plankton.
(c) Trilobites.
(d) Fungi.

9. What is the name of Reta's new novel?
(a) Thyme is Timeless.
(b) Thyme in Bloom.
(c) Thyme in Mind.
(d) Thyme to Forgive.

10. What does Tom's friend, Colin Glass, try to explain to Norah when he comes over for dinner?
(a) Newton's Laws of Motion.
(b) Curie's Theory of Radioactivity.
(c) Darwin's Theory of Evolution.
(d) Einstein's Theory of Relativity.

11. Who does Reta mention by name in her letter of complaint about "Great Minds of the Western Intellectual World"?
(a) Norah.
(b) Christine.
(c) Tom.
(d) Natalie.

12. What does Reta discuss with the person she visits after her encounter with Norah in early November?
(a) Feminist intellectuals.
(b) Literary matters.
(c) Children of war.
(d) Marriage and divorce.

13. What does Reta question about her feelings for Tom?
(a) Whether she dislikes him.
(b) Whether she trusts him.
(c) Whether she respects him.
(d) Whether she loves him.

14. What kind of woman does Reta realize she cannot create for a heroine in her novel?
(a) An evil woman.
(b) An imperfect woman.
(c) A trustworthy woman.
(d) A perfect woman.

15. According to Ben, Norah had become uncharacteristically __________ and __________ in the few weeks prior to her disappearance.
(a) Manic; jumpy.
(b) Irritable; short-tempered.
(c) Calm; peaceful.
(d) Depressed; lethargic.

Short Answer Questions

1. What has Reta attempted to talk about with her daughters regarding sex?

2. What is the name of the previous owners of Reta and Tom's Ontario farmhouse?

3. According to Reta, what does she find "monstrous" in the face of Norah's absence?

4. According to Reta, what are women still dismissed and excluded from?

5. Why does Reta write a letter of complaint to an editor of a literary magazine about a series of books called "Great Minds of the Western Intellectual World"?

(see the answer keys)

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