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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. Who does Reta meet for lunch after a radio interview in Baltimore?
2. What is the signal Reta gives to Lois for her to come over for her nightly meal with the family?
3. What does Reta discover behind the furnace that belonged to the previous owners?
4. What is the first subject Reta and her writer friends discuss at the Orange Blossom Room?
5. What subjects are Christine and Natalie studying for their exams?
Short Essay Questions
1. 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.
2. When does Reta's mind begin to wander and what does she think of during dinner with Tom's physicist friend, Colin Glass?
3. What does Reta do each month that indicates her attempt to live up to an idea of "goodness?"
4. Why does Reta feel that normalcy is "monstrous?"
5. Describe Norah's thoughts about the two main characters in her novel, and why they are significant.
6. How are Reta's feelings about sex related to her writing about Alicia and Roman?
7. According to Ben, how has Norah changed in the few weeks prior to her disappearance?
8. Describe life in the Winters' household.
9. Why does Norah make the sarcastic observation in her letter to Alexander Valkner that he must have suffered from extreme fatigue when he thought of his list of "literary big cats"?
10. How do Natalie and Christine attempt to give the impression that Norah's absence is part of a normal routine?
Essay Topics
Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:
Essay Topic 1
Healing, both physical and psychological, is significant to the characters' recovery in the novel. Identify the ways in which the Winters family heals from the stress and trauma over the past year.
Essay Topic 2
In the novel, marriage is portrayed as a complicated and sometimes fraught union between two people. How does Shields characterize Reta and Tom's marriage? Does she portray them as happily married? Why or why not?
Essay Topic 3
Discuss the role of conflict in "Unless." Discuss Reta's conflict with society. Discuss Norah's conflict with society.
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This section contains 856 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) |
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