View a FREE sample

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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Arthur tells Reta the day after Christmas that he is filled with admiration for what?
(a) Roman's faith.
(b) Reta's talent.
(c) Alicia's goodness.
(d) Norah's resolve.

2. According to Reta, what is the most egregious change Arthur suggests she make in her novel?
(a) That she introduce another character to marry Roman.
(b) That she make Alicia the focus instead of Roman.
(c) That she introduce another character to marry Alicia.
(d) That she make Roman the focus instead of Alicia.

3. How does Reta sign her letter about the obituary in the Globe and Mail?
(a) I no longer mourn for you. Rita Hayworth Orange Blossom City.
(b) I forgive you too. Rita Hayworth Orange Blossom City.
(c) I will not forgive you. Rita Hayworth Orange Blossom City.
(d) I grieve for you too. Rita Hayworth Orange Blossom City.

4. 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 can't breathe on her own.
(b) Because she had a double mastectomy.
(c) Because she had colon cancer.
(d) Because she lost her leg.

5. Arthur tells Reta the day after Christmas that he has read all the reviews for what book?
(a) The Goodness Gap.
(b) Great Minds of the Western Intellectual World.
(c) My Thyme is Up.
(d) Thyme in Bloom.

Short Answer Questions

1. What assessment does Helt have of Reta's first novel?

2. What does Reta find "ugly, vast, and arresting" as she and Tom walk in the cemetery?

3. What is the name of the place Reta meets her friends on Tuesdays?

4. What newspaper does Emily Helt write for?

5. What does Tracy Halliday want a huge jar of marbles to represent for Norah?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What rationale does Reta offer about the importance of novels despite moral injustice in the world?

3. 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?

4. What issue does Reta take with Emily Helt's book review in the Chicago Tribune?

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

6. How do the meetings with her friends at the Orange Blossom Room ground Reta in reality?

7. How does the staff's response at the hostel regarding Norah's gloves indicate her invisibility as a street person?

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

9. At the end of the novel, what do we learn about the reason for Norah's disappearance and subsequent homelessness?

10. Why does Reta make an exception in sending her letter to Russell Sandor, a short story writer?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 909 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample