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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 is the unthinkable obscenity that the answer to question #52 utters?

2. Whose invitation should Robbie have turned down because it i obvious Cecilia will ignore him the whole time?

3. What does Cecilia see Briony doing from the window of the guest room?

4. Who is the older sister of Emily that she describes as precocious and scheming?

5. How many days has Briony spent preparing her first play?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who does Emily trust to take care of things around the house while she tries to rest?

2. Describe the state of Cecilia at the beginning of this section.

3. What has fallen into disrepair, according to the narrative in this section?

4. What is wrong with the play, according to Briony?

5. What mystery does Briony begin to contemplate as she is looking at her hand?

6. What causes Cecilia to stop fixing the vase?

7. Why is Briony relieved when everyone leaves her alone in the nursery?

8. What does Briony think she should have done for her brother, Leon's, return?

9. What does Cecilia's father disapprove of which she does in spite of this disapproval?

10. Why does Briony want to prepare her play to be seen by others?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The tragedy of Briony becomes all the more disturbing when the reader finds out she has an illness at the end of the story.

Part 1: What is the illness of Briony at the end of this book?

Part 2: What does this illness seem to say about the idea of memories?

Part 3: What might this illness be symbolic of within the context of the story? In other words, what might this illness seem to say about the idea of memory and about holding onto one's memories?

Essay Topic 2

The growing up of Briony plays into the overall plot of the story, showing the reader that while she might want to grow up, she isn't quite ready for that adult world.

Part 1: List at least three things that Briony does that shows her immaturity.

Part 2: List at least three things that Briony does that demonstrate that she is growing up in the first part of the book.

Part 3: Has Briony grown up in the second part of the book? Or is she still childish in her interactions and her reactions to Cecilia?

Essay Topic 3

The fountain scene between Robbie and Cecilia is one that begins to turn Briony's attention to darker perceptions of the two characters.

Part 1: Describe what actually happens at the fountain between Robbie and Cecilia.

Part 2: Describe what Briony perceives to have happened during this conversation between the two.

Part 3: Why do you think Cecilia reacted in the scene the way she did? What does this seem to say to Briony?

(see the answer keys)

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