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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. In Chapter 2, how long does Serena have an affair with Tony Canning?

2. What is the name of Neil Carder's ex-wife?

3. In Chapter 1, how long was Serena in the British Security Service before she was sacked?

4. What does Serena wonder if she knows how to read at the end of Chapter 8?

5. What is the name of the story that Serena reads from the Kenyon Review in Chapter 8?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the general plot of the story that Serena reads in Chapter 8?

2. In Chapter 7, what is Serena thinking when she is called to Tapp's office?

3. In Chapter 2, where do Serena and Tony have their trysts when they are having their affair?

4. In the short story Serena reads in Chapter 9, with whom does the main character, Neil Carder, have a romance?

5. In Chapter 6, what assignment does Tim Le Prevost give Shirley and Serena?

6. Why did Serena study maths at Cambridge?

7. At the end of Chapter 5, why does Serena get in trouble instead of Shirley?

8. How does Serena feel after her conversation with Shirley in Chapter 9?

9. How does Serena describe the room she has in Chapter 5?

10. Who is Shirley Shilling, and what is her background?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

MI5 is a right-wing organization. How are characters and organizations split between being right and left-wing? How does casting characters as either right or left-wing advance the plot?

Essay Topic 2

After Tony’s death Serena feels betrayed. Why does Serena feel betrayed when her affair with Tony ends? How does that sense of betrayal turn into devotion? Why?

Essay Topic 3

Serena begins to realize that her life would be totally different if she had never met Tony. What influence did Tony have on Serena’s life? How would her life have been different if she had never met him?

(see the answer keys)

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