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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. Why does Madeleine move Léonie into Thérèse's room?

2. Who relishes her breakfast the next morning though Louis and Thérèse refuse to eat?

3. What color of eyes does everyone in the area seem to have?

4. When the two girls go downstairs, what do they find?

5. What happens to what the girls bring up from the cellar?

Short Essay Questions

1. The burning of objects occur repeatedly throughout this novel, the first idea of this occurring in the chapter "The Altar." What do you think could be the symbolism behind the burning of various objects?

2. What do you think that the emptiness in the air about Léonie means?

3. In "The Writing Table," what is Léonie doing on the advice of her lawyer and why?

4. Describe the nightmare with which the chapter "The Wall" opens.

5. Describe the first few minutes of Thérèse and Léonie's time together as described in "The Chandelier."

6. What is symbolized by Léonie's lying in the woods and undressing to have sex with Baptiste?

7. What task do you believe is now set before Léonie?

8. How, in "The Dust," does Léonie's actions foreshadow her eventual life as wife and mother and living at the Martin property?

9. What in "The Ivory Ring" chapter foreshadows Thérèse's despondency about her mother's death and her father transferring his affection to Madeleine?

10. In the chapter, "The Holdall," how does what Léonie finds while going through Thérèse's things demonstrate the differences between the two women?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The keeping of secrets is a recurring theme in this novel. Both Thérèse and Léonie withhold secrets from each other as girls; the adults withhold secrets from the children; the house holds secrets from the past, and Antoinette holds some secrets from both the adults and the children. Choose one of the following questions and write a well-developed essay using examples from the book as well as personal experience:

1. Discuss the secrets Thérèse and Léonie hold from each other and why you think they do this. Give specific details and examples from the book.

2. Discuss the secrets the adults withhold from the children. Why do they do this? Is it wise to do so? Do adults in general tend to keep too much from children? Why or why not.

3. Discuss Antoinette's secrets and what you think they are and why you think she keeps them secrets. Is that healthy? She is the only one to get ill and die in the novel--could there be a correlation between her secrets eating away inside her and her getting cancer?

Essay Topic 2

In chapter 6, Thérèse and Léonie have a meal together. Léonie takes special care in setting the table and choosing the menu. Choose one of the following questions and write a well-developed essay using examples from the book as well as personal experience:

1. Follow the thread of food and eating that occurs throughout the novel, giving examples of that theme and an interpretation of the examples you choose.

2. Food is essential to the continuation of life, and thus is often offered symbolically as well as concretely in many cultures. Compare and contrast the symbolism of food in several diverse cultures.

3. Discuss how food is treated in advertisements in the country in which you live, including billboard advertisements, magazines, t.v., and radio. What is the main purpose of the advertisements? Are they successful? Do they sway you?

Essay Topic 3

There are two sides to the Martin house. One side is proper and presentable, and the other is full of darkness and threatening secrets. Choose one of the following questions and write a well-developed essay using examples from the book as well as personal experience:

1. Describe both parts of the Martin house and list some of the imagery associated with each part.

2. Can the Martin house be an analogy for humans, i.e., we all have a "dark" and a "light" side to our personalities. Discuss yourself or someone you know and the traits that's that you consider dark or light and show how those traits can be said to belong to one part of the Martin home or the other. Explain why you assign a trait to one side or the other.

3. Literature is replete with the idea that life is duality--good or evil, hot or cold, sad or joyful.... But much of life rather than being a duality is various shades or mixtures of opposites. Talk about this idea and use examples both from Daughters of the House and your own experiences.

(see the answer keys)

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