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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. According to Arthur, who possesses "profound human goodness"?
(a) Norah.
(b) Alicia.
(c) Reta.
(d) Roman.

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

3. What are the two main characters' names in the sequel to Reta's first novel?
(a) Andrea and Ramon.
(b) Amy and Richard.
(c) Alicia and Roman.
(d) Alice and Robert.

4. Who does Reta meet for lunch after a radio interview in Baltimore?
(a) Her old friend, Gwen.
(b) Her mentor, Danielle.
(c) Her daughter, Christine.
(d) Her editor, Arthur.

5. According to Reta, what is "full of rough corners that seem to me just about to come into their full beauty"?
(a) Reta's daughters.
(b) Reta's home.
(c) Reta's husband.
(d) Reta's writing.

Short Answer Questions

1. What is the first subject Reta and her writer friends discuss at the Orange Blossom Room?

2. What is the name of the hostel Reta writes a check to each month?

3. What is the name of the book Reta picks up at Orangetown Library?

4. What troubles Norah when she comes home one weekend her second year at university?

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

Short Essay Questions

1. Why is Reta reluctant to give Arthur Springer a first draft of her novel, and what does it reveal about her writing?

2. How are Reta's feelings about sex related to her writing about Alicia and Roman?

3. According to Ben, how has Norah changed in the few weeks prior to her disappearance?

4. What does Reta's husband Tom do for a living and how is it significant concerning Norah's absence?

5. Why does Reta wake up with anxiety about cleaning her house?

6. Describe life in the Winters' household.

7. Describe Reta Winter's thoughts and feelings as the novel opens.

8. Why do Reta and her writer friends at the Orange Blossom Room conclude that the concepts of goodness and greatness are incompatible for women?

9. Why does Arthur love Alicia as a character and why is it significant?

10. When does Reta's mind begin to wander and what does she think of during dinner with Tom's physicist friend, Colin Glass?

(see the answer keys)

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