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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 wisdom does Olive Lawrence murmur to Nathaniel that comes back to him as an adult?

2. What is The Darter's real name?

3. What does Agnes draw on for the sketch that she gives to Nathaniel in the section titled "Agnes Street"?

4. How long after Rose's death is Nathaniel invited to apply for work at the Foreign Office?

5. Where does The Moth almost exclusively eat?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Nathaniel's and Rachel's brief time alone with their mother just before she leaves for Singapore feel like for Nathaniel?

2. Why do Nathaniel and Rachel refer to Walter as The Moth?

3. What does Nathaniel get in trouble for, that generations of boys before him have also done, at his boarding school in Chapter 1?

4. What does Nathaniel tell Agnes to try to conceal the truth of his family situation?

5. What does Nathaniel remember about Rose packing her steamer trunk for her trip to Singapore?

6. What does Nathaniel think he sees while dancing with Agnes one night at The White Hart club in Bromley?

7. How do Nathaniel and Rachel feel about becoming boarders at their new schools after their mother and father leave for Singapore in Chapter 1?

8. What story does Nathaniel's mother tell her children about the family of roofers who worked on her childhood home?

9. What does Nathaniel particularly remember about Olive's temperament from his childhood?

10. What do The Darter and Olive Lawrence eat that is quite unusual on their first dinner date, and why does Olive agree to eat it?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How does Nathaniel's conduct when he secures a job at Britain's classified archives relate to Rose's activities as a covert agent during and after WWII? Write an essay comparing and contrasting Nathaniel's and Rose's professional conduct and aims.

Essay Topic 2

What is Nathaniel's understanding about who killed Rose, and what were that person's reasons for killing her? How does Nathaniel piece together the information surrounding his mother's death, given that the government does not reveal any information to him about what really happened? Write an essay explaining your answer.

Essay Topic 3

How do Nathaniel's journeys on the River Thames with The Darter connect to his later work as an adult with British Intelligence? Write an essay exploring the relationship between these two experiences, citing references to to the text to support your answer.

(see the answer keys)

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