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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 tell Reta the day after Christmas that it is urgent that she come to New York?
(a) Because he wants her to sign a six figure book deal.
(b) Because he wants to have a conference before she finishes the first draft.
(c) Because he wants her to give a reading at a major bookstore.
(d) Because he wants to meet before he leaves the country.

2. In her letter about the obituary in the Globe and Mail, what does Reta state she has missed out on?
(a) Everything.
(b) Something definable.
(c) Nothing.
(d) Some indefinable something.

3. What newspaper does Emily Helt write for?
(a) The New York Times.
(b) The Washington Post.
(c) The Chicago Tribune.
(d) The Los Angeles Times.

4. What is the short story writer's name who Reta writes a letter to?
(a) Renee Simon.
(b) Robert Spiller.
(c) Russell Sandor.
(d) Richard Smiley.

5. What date does Arthur Springer agree to meet with Reta in 2001?
(a) January 4th.
(b) January 30th.
(c) January 19th.
(d) January 2nd.

Short Answer Questions

1. What great themes of literature does Reta tell Helt she learned while in high school?

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

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

4. What does Reta think most people would assume about the inscription on Mary Leland's headstone?

5. What does Lois tell Arthur she attended many years ago?

Short Essay Questions

1. 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?

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

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

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

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

6. Why does an older friend of Reta's advise her to read obituaries as a young writer?

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

8. What is Reta's central point in her letter to Helt?

9. According to Reta, what is the "worry word" of life and why is it significant?

10. Why don't the Winters' want to discuss the fact that Norah probably gave her Christmas package away?

(see the answer keys)

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