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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. What did M's psychoanalyst do which she found offensive and so she stopped seeing him?

2. How old was L when he first became famous?

3. Where was the narrator heading when she met someone on a train which changed the course of her life?

4. What mode of transportation does L tell M he will take to meet her?

5. Who does the narrator say she meant on a train at the start of the novel, which made the following years difficult?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does the narrator say her first experience with L coincided with? What did she think L's visit would do in terms of her recovery?

2. How is M's hair described at the time of L's visit? Why did she keep it that way?

3. What is M's impression of Brett when she first meets her?

4. Where did L stay instead of coming to the second place? What happened to him while there? Where did he invite M during that winter?

5. In what ways did L and Tony's early experiences with death manifest differently in each man?

6. How does the narrator describe the man she met on the train in Paris? What was he doing? Why did she not say something?

7. Who is the narrator speaking to at the start of the novel? What does she say happened while on a train in Paris?

8. Describe L and M's first interaction the morning after he arrived at the second place. How did she feel about him? How did he make her feel?

9. What does the narrator feel L's painting emanated when she first saw them that morning in Paris, which compelled her to follow it to the art gallery?

10. What issue did Brett have with the bed linen in the second place? What did she want M to do?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write a brief essay analyzing the title Second Place. Explore the ways in which this title connects to the plot and themes of the story.

Essay Topic 2

Discuss Cusk’s focus on gender as presented in Second Place.

Essay Topic 3

Write a detailed analysis of tone in Cusk's Second Place. Include whether the tone changes or remains the same. If it changes, include details on when, why and whether this change is effective.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 821 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample