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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What kind of world is Reta interested in creating for her characters?

2. What does Reta question about her feelings for Tom?

3. What has a dormitory appearance with meals served and an enforced curfew?

4. What kind of woman does Reta realize she cannot create for a heroine in her novel?

5. How does Tessa discover the mystery of Norah's disappearance six months prior?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Reta feel that normalcy is "monstrous?"

2. Why does Danielle believe that Norah has embraced her powerlessness in society by living as a homeless person?

3. How does the American election results in Florida that Tom, Christine, and Natalie watch relate to Norah's absence?

4. How do Natalie and Christine attempt to give the impression that Norah's absence is part of a normal routine?

5. Why does Reta realize that she cannot create a perfect woman as a hero in her novel?

6. Describe the response of the Winters' family to seeing the hostel where Norah stays and its significance.

7. Describe life in the Winters' household.

8. Describe Reta's feelings about the formation of her inner dialogue, the "longest conversation" that goes on in a lifetime in a person's mind.

9. During Norah's visit from university the previous year, Reta states that she knew how "wildly out control" Norah was, how "she'd become dangerous to her own being." Describe why Reta comes to this conclusion.

10. Why does Reta initially think Norah's problems may have stemmed from her relationship with Ben Abbot?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss Shields' portrayal of the media in the novel, responding to the following questions:

1. What role does the media have in advancing the plot?

2. What is Reta's relationship to the media?

3. Is it an amicable or hostile relationship and why?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the role of setting in the novel, responding to the following questions:

1. What facts about the city of Toronto relate directly or indirectly to the lives of the characters?

2. What facts about the time in which the novel is set, 2000-2001, relate directly or indirectly to the novel's themes and overall meaning?

Essay Topic 3

As a novel, "Unless" functions as a mystery. As such, there are clues provided to lead the reader in many directions. What are some true and false leads surrounding Norah's disappearance? How does Shields utilize flashbacks and dialogue to create suspension in the novel?

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