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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 does Valeria urge to advise Mirella on her relationship with Sandro?

2. What does Valeria say to herself when she does not phone Guido?

3. What does Valeria's mother blame her family's misfortunes on?

4. What does Mirella say she did with her diary?

5. What does Mirella wear to Mass that she bought for herself?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Michele reply when Valeria points out to him that Mirella still is not home?

2. What does Clara, who has always said she cannot live without love, now say about it?

3. How does Valeria's mother behave at the Easter lunch?

4. When the children's friends visit, how do they respond to Valeria?

5. What does Mirella say to Valeria about authority?

6. What does Valeria say when Michele expresses worry that the threat of war will make the movie producers afraid?

7. When does Valeria think her anxiety started? What does she attribute it to?

8. What does Valeria remember happening one night when she sat up late with Mirella when she was little?

9. What does Clara tell Valeria about Michele's film?

10. Why, thinks Valeria, can Michele not really see her anymore?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What role does secrecy play in the novel? Examine the effect of secrets on the characters' relationships and the larger story.

Essay Topic 2

What is the symbolic value of food in the novel? What does it represent? Focus on 1-3 examples to explore in detail.

Essay Topic 3

What is the significance of Valeria's decision to burn her notebook at the end of the novel? What does this decision tell us about her and what the notebook means for her?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 738 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample