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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. How long does Van spend in Cordula's Manhattan flat?

2. What is Cordula doing when Van runs into her?

3. What type of fur coat does Ada wear?

4. What restaurant do Cordula and Van order food from?

5. How does the blind Spencer Muldoon describe colors?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Van respond to Ada's arrival?

2. What plan does Lucette propose to Van?

3. What is Cordula's conversation like?

4. What does Cordula tell Van about Vanda Broom?

5. What were the reviews of Van's first book like?

6. What does Van plan to do in the duel?

7. How does Van remember his three farewell lectures on Bergson's Time?

8. What tragedy happened at the Villa Venus in Souvenir, Missouri?

9. In Marina's last days, why is Van planning a trip to America?

10. What does Ada's letter say she will do if Van doesn't allow her to come live with him?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss siblings, cousins, and their relationships in the novel.

1) What are the relationships between Marina and Aqua? How are they similar to each other? How does Aqua serve as a substitute for Marina? How does this compare to the relationship between Demon and Dan?

2) Discuss the relationship between Lucette and Ada? How are they similar and different, and what does their relationship as sisters have to do with their similarities? How does Lucette serve as a substitute for Ada?

3) Discuss the relationship between Ada and Van as brother and sister. How does their relationship as siblings change their associations? What similarities does it create between them?

Essay Topic 2

Compare Lucette and Ada's characters in the novel.

1) What role does the age difference between Lucette and Ada play in their similarities and differences?

2) How doe Van love Lucette? How is this different from the way he loves Ada? Why?

3) What are Lucette and Ada's feelings for each other? What does this show about their personalities, values, and beliefs?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss sexuality in the novel.

1) How and why is sexuality related to youth in the novel? How does sexuality change with age?

2) How does sexuality relate to love and affection in the novel? What do the characters expect from sex, and what does sex actually provide?

3) What role does sexual decadence, especially represented by the Villa Venus brothels, play in the novel?

(see the answer keys)

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