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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. Why does Arthur state that he thinks of the final chapter as the "kiln?"
(a) Because the clay is as malleable as a reader's interpretation.
(b) Because the clay is malleable and the ending will harden into something beautiful.
(c) Because the labor of creation is the same in writing as in art.
(d) Because the heat of the fire is akin to the power of the ending.

2. In the cemetery, what is the inscription beneath Mary Leland's name on her headstone?
(a) She Took Good Care of Her Chickens.
(b) She Took Good Care of Her Children.
(c) She Took Good Care of Her Husband.
(d) She Took Good Care of Her Cows.

3. Whose obituary does Reta read in the Globe and Mail?
(a) Paula Hemingway.
(b) Pam Horton.
(c) Peter Harding.
(d) Paul Hillsdale.

4. How does Reta sign her letter to Ford-Halpern?
(a) Yours, Rita Orange d'Ville.
(b) Yours, Reta Winters.
(c) Yours, Reta Orangetown.
(d) Yours, Rita Orange.

5. In the letter to the short story writer, why does Reta mention that her friend Emma lost the integrity of her body?
(a) Because she had a double mastectomy.
(b) Because she can't breathe on her own.
(c) Because she had colon cancer.
(d) Because she lost her leg.

Short Answer Questions

1. According to Reta, what is "full of isolated events"?

2. According to the friend who advised Reta as a young writer, what do obituaries contain?

3. What list does Lois have arranged in alphabetical order in her recipe box?

4. What does Reta call the "worry word" of life?

5. What anomaly does Lois tell Arthur she sees on the oak tree outside her window?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Reta call Dennis Ford-Halpern's omission of women in his book "The Goodness Gap" a "moral dilemma in itself"?

2. How does Arthur feel about Roman, the other main character in Reta's novel?

3. Why does Reta feel that Arthur's suggestion to focus on Roman instead of Alicia is an egregious one?

4. At the hospital, what does Natalie reveal about the injuries to Norah's hands?

5. Why is Lois's conversation with Arthur when she comes over to investigate about dinner significant?

6. In her letter about the death of Peter Harding, how does Reta compare herself to Norah?

7. What is Reta's impression of Arthur Springer when she finally meets him at her home in January and how do they get into a heated discussion?

8. According to Reta, why is goodness not a guaranteed virtue?

9. What does Reta notice on Norah's wrists that cause Tom to forget his trilobites and research stress and trauma?

10. How does Emma, Reta's journalist friend, try to comfort her and how is it significant?

(see the answer keys)

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