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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 does Colin find unusual about Caroline?

2. What does Caroline find unusual about Mary's place of employment?

3. How did Caroline's back become injured?

4. Which of the following is NOT a topic of discussion between Mary and Colin during this chapter?

5. Why does Mary propose amputating Colin's arms and legs?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is Mary's fantasy of "subjection and humiliation" for Colin? What is Colin's fantasy for Mary?

2. What does Colin confess to Mary as they are sitting on the beach? How does Mary react?

3. Describe the scene between Robert and Mary at the bookcase.

4. Describe the scene in the ocean involving Mary and Colin.

5. What does Mary discover in the apartment when she awakens?

6. Describe Mary and Colin's routine for the days following their visit to Robert and Caroline's apartment.

7. Why doesn't Mary respond much to Caroline's stories? What is likely the source of her silence?

8. How do Mary and Colin's conversations compare to their lovemaking?

9. How does Mary's reaction to Robert's photograph differ from Colin's?

10. How does Colin's experience with Robert at the bar compare to Mary's experience with Caroline in the apartment?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Compare and contrast the two main settings of the novel: Robert and Caroline's apartment and Mary and Colin's hotel room. Focus on:

1) the characteristics of the settings

2) the influence that the setting asserts on the plot of the novel

3) the ways that the setting reflects the characters "living" in it.

Cite several specific examples from the novel to support your ideas.

Essay Topic 2

Throughout The Comfort of Strangers Ian McEwan foreshadows the tragic final event in the novel. Select three events in the novel that foreshadow this event. Discuss how these events act as foreshadowing and how their significance becomes evident when the final scene occurs.

Cite several specific examples from the novel to support your ideas.

Essay Topic 3

The gallery in Robert's apartment plays an important role in the novel. It serves as a symbol on many levels. Discuss the significance of the gallery in the novel. Cite several specific examples from the novel to support your ideas.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 962 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample