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

2. What do Reta and Tom speculate about Norah's wrists?
(a) Whether Norah has made unsavory friends.
(b) Whether Norah has used a razor in a suicide attempt.
(c) Whether Norah has fallen and hurt herself.
(d) Whether someone else has hurt Norah.

3. What does Francis Quinn tell Reta and Tom about the gloves Norah has been wearing?
(a) That Norah wears them at dinner.
(b) That Norah wears them to pray.
(c) That Norah wears them to bed.
(d) That Norah wears them in the bath.

4. Why does Reta have difficulty carrying on a conversation with Arthur when he comes o her home for the first time?
(a) Because she is preoccupied.
(b) Because he asks too many questions.
(c) Because he never stops speaking.
(d) Because she doesn't understand him.

5. Why is Reta alarmed by the sight of Norah's hands?
(a) They are broken.
(b) They are scarred.
(c) They are bruised.
(d) They are cut.

Short Answer Questions

1. How does Reta sign her letter to Ford-Halpern?

2. Who lost her own son to a heroin overdose?

3. Why does Arthur tell Reta the day after Christmas that it is urgent that she come to New York?

4. What is the name of the hospital that Norah is in?

5. According to Tom, what is the cause of the condition of Norah's hands?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. Describe Reta and Lois's relationship.

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

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

5. When Reta and Tom consult a psychiatrist about Norah, what does he tell them and how do they respond?

6. What does Reta and Tom's walk in Orangetown cemetery represent?

7. When Tom calls to inform Reta that Norah is in the hospital, how does the point of view change in the novel?

8. In her letter to Russell Sandor, Reta states that she fears nothing. Why does she feel this way and how does she prove it in her letter?

9. Why does Reta sign her letter to Dennis Ford-Halpern, "Yours, Rita Orange d'Ville"?

10. As Reta and Arthur have their heated discussion, what three things happen that interrupt them that provide comic relief to the serious conversation?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 885 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample