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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 Iris try to go downstairs in chapter 9?

2. What does Iris call 'The Blind Assassin'?

3. Who does Iris suspect might be Myra's true father?

4. What happens when the men try to leave Aa'A?

5. Laura is scared by her father dressing up as what character when she and Iris are children?

Short Essay Questions

1. According to chapter 13, what pact had Laura made with God?

2. According to the article at the beginning of chapter 12, what are Richard's views about Germany?

3. What do the man and woman do when he first gets off the train?

4. According to chapter 11, how does the adult Aimee feel towards her mother and why?

5. What are Winifred's feelings toward Iris's pregnancy?

6. How does the man and woman's story about the blind assassin and the tongueless girl end?

7. Why do you think Iris has 'The Blind Assassin' published?

8. In chapter 13, what revelation of Iris's sends Laura over the edge?

9. In chapter 12, what is the significance of the yellow curtains?

10. On one of the articles, Richard warns his fellow Canadians about politics overseas. What does he warn them about?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

At any point in the novel, the political climate often directly affects the lives of the characters. How does the changing political climate affect the story? Consider the effects of such events as the stock market crash, labor strikes, World Wars I and II, and the Spanish Civil War.

Essay Topic 2

Choose a character for the novel and answer the following questions about the character:

1. What traits define the character?

2. What is the character's role in the novel?

3. How does this character relate to other characters?

4. How is this character developed?

5. How would the novel change if the character were removed?

Essay Topic 3

Laura tells Winifred that marriage is not about love, it is about business. Do you think that the marriages in the novel support this view? Are there any loving marriages or are they all solely business arrangements? Is Laura right to find marriage outdated? Within the marriages that you classify as predominantly business arrangements, is there any elements of love? Do you think that the idea of relationships based on business rather than affection is confined to marriage? What other relationships in the novel are based on business rather than friendship or love?

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