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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. In Chapter 6, where is the man who cleans the swimming pool from?

2. With whom was Bert having an affair when Cal died?

3. In Chapter 5, how did Albie get money for pot?

4. Where is the actress who owns the house that Leo Posen rents for the summer in Chapter 6?

5. In Chapter 8, what was the temperature when Teresa left Los Angeles and flew to Switzerland?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the car like that Holly drives to pick up her mother from the airport in Chapter 8?

2. In what way is Leo and Franny's relationship doomed even before the house guests in Chapter 6?

3. In Chapter 7, why does Fix say that Leo's wife is the unsung hero in the relationship between him and Franny?

4. Did Teresa date or marry after her divorce from Bert?

5. In Chapter 6, what is Caroline doing?

6. At the beginning of Chapter 7, where are Fix and his daughters driving and why?

7. How does Teresa feel after her flight to Switzerland in Chapter 8?

8. How did Fix and Marjorie get their house in Santa Monica?

9. How did Holly end up living in Switzerland?

10. In Chapter 6, why does Leo struggle to make ends meet?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The novel is told from a third-person omniscient point of view. The stories that the narrator tells follow different characters. How does the point of view affect how the stories are told and what readers know about characters and events?

Essay Topic 2

In Chapter 1, in many ways, Bert is the opposite of Fix. The way that the author portrays the two characters makes Bert a character foil to Fix. How does the author make Bert a foil to Fix and how does that characterization advance the plot?

Essay Topic 3

After Teresa retires, she visits Holly at the meditation center in Switzerland. What does the meditation center mean to both of them, and what benefits do both women gain from the center?

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