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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. Who is Dennis Ford-Halpern?
(a) Reta's writing teacher.
(b) The author of "The Goodness Gap."
(c) A television host.
(d) Norah's psychiatrist.

2. Why does Arthur Springer call Reta the day after Christmas?
(a) To tell her that he has corrected her partial first draft.
(b) To tell her that he has not read her partial first draft.
(c) To tell her that her partial first draft is wonderful.
(d) To tell her that her partial first draft needs work.

3. What list does Lois have arranged in alphabetical order in her recipe box?
(a) A list of one hundred breakfasts.
(b) A list of one hundred lunches.
(c) A list of one hundred dinners.
(d) A list of one hundred desserts.

4. In Reta's letter to Ford-Halpern, what is "an endless series of obstacles, an alignment of locked doors"?
(a) Emma's loss.
(b) Reta's mind.
(c) Norah's world.
(d) Danielle's obstacles.

5. In the short story that Reta writes her letter about, what does the Czech professor see in the medical supply shop that disgusts him?
(a) An artifical limb.
(b) A colostomy bag.
(c) An oxygen tank.
(d) A mastectomy bra.

Short Answer Questions

1. What is the name of the third novel in Reta's trilogy?

2. Who insists that Norah is reacting to her state of powerlessness in society during Norah's visit with her?

3. According to Lois, who makes fun of the list in her recipe box?

4. Why does Arthur state that he thinks of the final chapter as the "kiln?"

5. What does Norah use to try and put out the flames from the woman's fire?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. Why does Arthur Springer call one day after Christmas and what is Reta's response?

4. Describe Reta and Lois's relationship.

5. What is Lois's true opinion of what happened to Norah that she is afraid to express?

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

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

8. 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?

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

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

(see the answer keys)

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