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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 does Reta find "ugly, vast, and arresting" as she and Tom walk in the cemetery?

2. In Reta's letter to Ford-Halpern, what failure is "a moral dilemma in itself"?

3. During lunch, why is Danielle disappointed with Reta's decision to write another novel?

4. What assessment does Helt have of Reta's first novel?

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

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

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

5. How do the meetings with her friends at the Orange Blossom Room ground Reta in reality?

6. What rationale does Reta offer about the importance of novels despite moral injustice in the world?

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

8. Why does Reta make an exception in sending her letter to Russell Sandor, a short story writer?

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

10. Why does Reta feel that Arthur's suggestion to focus on Roman instead of Alicia is an egregious one?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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

1. What responsibilities do family members share?

2. Does Shields portray the Winters family as being functional or dysfunctional?

3. How are the Winters family members treated?

4. Who is accepted as a family member and who is not?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the significance of goodness in the novel as an idea and a catalyst for change, responding to the following questions:

1. What does the concept of goodness mean to Reta?

2. What does the concept of goodness mean to Norah?

3. What is the overall message of goodness as an idea in the novel?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss grief as a major theme of the novel, especially the expression of suffering, responding to the following questions:

1. How does Reta cope with her grief?

2. How are Norah's actions a manifestation of grief?

3. What is the relationship between memory and grief?

(see the answer keys)

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