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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. 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 Indy 500.
(c) The Kentucky Derby.
(d) The presidential election.

2. What has Reta attempted to talk about with her daughters regarding sex?
(a) Reta has attempted to convince them to wait until marriage.
(b) Reta has attempted to find out if they are having sex.
(c) Reta has attempted to share her own experiences.
(d) Reta has attempted to talk about birth control.

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

4. What constant preoccupation does Reta think is not a normal activity for anyone BUT writers?
(a) The constant preoccupation with a world that exists in the imagination.
(b) The constant preoccupation with real life and death concerns.
(c) The constant preoccupation with the self.
(d) The constant preoccupation with recreating the past.

5. Why does Reta also chide Valkner about his article "The History of Dictionaries"?
(a) For attempting to discuss all literature instead of narrowing his focus.
(b) For including male writers that are blatantly sexist.
(c) For his patronizing tone in discussing some of the great female writers of the century.
(d) For failing to mention some of the century's great female writers.

Short Answer Questions

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

2. What do Tom and the girls see as a contradiction about the American event they are fixated on?

3. What is the idea Reta shrinks from when it comes to writing her book?

4. According to Arthur, who possesses "profound human goodness"?

5. What word does Norah have written on the cardboard sign on her chest?

Short Essay Questions

1. How do Natalie and Christine attempt to give the impression that Norah's absence is part of a normal routine?

2. How does Reta respond to the death of Mr. Scribano and how is it significant?

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

4. Why does Reta initially think Norah's problems may have stemmed from her relationship with Ben Abbot?

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

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

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

8. Why does Norah make the sarcastic observation in her letter to Alexander Valkner that he must have suffered from extreme fatigue when he thought of his list of "literary big cats"?

9. How does the American election results in Florida that Tom, Christine, and Natalie watch relate to Norah's absence?

10. Describe Reta's feelings about the formation of her inner dialogue, the "longest conversation" that goes on in a lifetime in a person's mind.

(see the answer keys)

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