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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. Who is Rosa speaking to in the last section of the novel?

2. Who does Rosa tell that she is leaving the country?

3. What doesn't Bassie know about Rosa's family?

4. According to Rosa, how does suffering end?

5. What does Brandt first show Rosa when she visits his home?

Short Essay Questions

1. What specifically transpires in the first meeting between Brandt and Rosa?

2. Who does Rosa meet at the bar and what happens between them?

3. What are some of the experiences that Rosa and Katya share as Rosa's stay extends in Pages 214-261?

4. What is Greer's trial all about, and what is its outcome for Greer?

5. Who comes to dine on asparagus with Rosa and Katya and what advice do they give Rosa?

6. Why does Rosa go to London? What are Bernard's plans concerning London, and what delays him?

7. Why is Rosa detained and what becomes of her?

8. What is the political topic of conversation at Donna's party?

9. What does Katya share with Rosa about her past in the beginning of Pages 262-290?

10. How do Katya and Rosa handle the idea of Lionel in their relationship?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What is the fundamental difference between Clare and Rosa?

Essay Topic 2

What is Bernard's role in the novel? Why does Gordimer create his character? What contrasts is the reader made to see through him?

Essay Topic 3

What greater significance does the woman in the nightgown have? How can she be seen as a theme of the novel?

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