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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 Rachel invite Nathaniel to in the section titled "In the Archives"?

2. What author does Rose Williams have a particular fondness for?

3. What was written on Rose Williams' gravestone?

4. What does Nathaniel find he has a particular talent for?

5. Who is really the biological father of The Darter's daughter?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Marsh Felon teach Rose how to do in the section titled "Wildfowling"?

2. How is Rose Williams' death noted in the press?

3. What kind of a relationship does Marsh Felon have with his own family as an adult?

4. What does Rose tell Nathaniel when he asks her about what happened to The Moth?

5. In the section titled "In the Archives," what does Nathaniel feel he has lost along with any details about his mother's work in the war?

6. Who finds Rose's body and what does that person do following the discovery?

7. Who is the boy on the roof and why is he important in Rose's life?

8. How do Rachel's feelings towards Rose, her mother, change after the incident in the Bark Theater?

9. What does Sam Malakite do for Nathaniel at Rose's funeral?

10. What was Nathaniel's relationship with Mr. Sam Malakite like when Nathaniel was a teenager?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

How does Nathaniel's work at Britain's classified archives affect his perception of both his country's and his mother's work during and after WWII? Write an essay explaining your answer, citing specific references to the text.

Essay Topic 3

Rose and Marsh Felon have a brief but intense love affair. Write an essay analyzing Ondaatje's handling of the relationship between Rose and Marsh. Why do you think Ondaatje chooses to leave the reasons behind the affair's end so vague?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 692 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample