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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 Rachel keep going to different locations in Section 6?

2. Who is Barbara Hiller?

3. What is the name of the studio where Toby takes an exercise class?

4. What does Toby name the new puppy?

5. How long has Rachel been missing by Section 6?

Short Essay Questions

1. What upsetting news does Toby get at the start of Section 6?

2. Who is Jeanine?

3. What role does Same Rothberg play in Rachel's nervous breakdown?

4. Who is Alejandra Lopez and how does Rachel discover her?

5. What do Solly and Hannah's emails say from camp?

6. What are the different places Rachel goes when she gets back from Kripula, and why?

7. How does Toby describe his sister in Section 5?

8. What happens to Rachel's job in the Section 4 flashback?

9. Who is Tamara and how does Toby describe her in Section 5?

10. What does Toby tell the children about Rachel in Section 5?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What is the role of motherhood in the novel? How does motherhood impact the different women characters in the novel?

Essay Topic 2

Think about Toby and Rachel's childhoods. How did each of their childhoods impact them as adults and add to the breakdown of their marriage?

Essay Topic 3

What happens to Karen Cooper in the novel? Why would Brodesser-Anker include the character of Karen Cooper? What could she and her disease symbolize?

(see the answer keys)

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