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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 is the name of Jack's daughter?

2. What sound does Mary hear after she shoots Harrold?

3. Who does Jack call for help after Mary shoots Harrold?

4. How long does Willis say that Jack will keep his boat in the water?

5. What does Harrold drink from a bottle while he is on the couch at Mary's cottage?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Jack tell Everett about what happened in the cottage?

2. Why does Mary decide not to run away from Harrold or call the police after he passes out on the couch?

3. Does Mary tell Jack the truth about Harrold and the abuse she suffered?

4. What is Jack's response when Mary tells him she thinks she brought on Harrold's abuse because she was a "catalyst" for Harrold's anger?

5. How does Jack characterize his marriage when he speaks of it to Mary?

6. What does Willis do that is annoying to Mary?

7. What does Mary tell Everett that Harrold did to her that night before she killed him?

8. What happens when Mary falls into a honeypot when she is running to Jack's dinghy?

9. Why do Jack and Mary take Caroline to the clinic in Machias?

10. What does Willis tell the reporter Helen Scofield after the trial?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

When Mary and Jack take Caroline to the doctor's in Machias, why doesn't Mary confide in the doctor? What does this suggest about the time period and Mary's own feelings about herself as a victim?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss Julia Strout's character. How is she described? What role does she play in Mary's life? Does Mary feel comfortable confiding in her? Provide textual examples to support your viewpoint.

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the theme of abuse in this novel and its effect on Maureen emotionally and physically. How does it isolate her from others? Why does she feel she cannot tell anyone about the abuse?

(see the answer keys)

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