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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 12, when Hal decides that she does not feel like an athlete after all, she decides that she instead "feels like a grandmaster before a" (90) what?

2. In Chapter 18, Hal believes that which character associated with the Westaway family is her biological mother?

3. In Chapter 12, Hal sees how many long black sedans pull up beneath her attic window?

4. Hal finds a letter in the recycle bin inviting her to Trepassen House at the behest of what kind of person?

5. In what room within Trepassen House does Hal discover and look at a photograph album?

Short Essay Questions

1. In what way does Hal turn her fear of meeting the Westaway family to her advantage?

2. For what reason is Hal herself dismayed when the contents of Hester Westaway's will are revealed?

3. For what occasion must the Westaway family travel to Penzance together and how do they get there?

4. Discuss an instance when Ware uses a simile to indicate a violent emotional reaction.

5. How does the theme of trust enter the narrative within the diary entry featured at the end of Chapter 10?

6. Describe the three Westaway brothers' three different reactions to the news that Hal is Maud's daughter.

7. Name one main theme introduced by the novel's epigraph in The Death of Mrs. Westaway.

8. What alarming development happens at the funeral for Hester Westaway?

9. In what way does Ware join together the themes of free will and responsibility?

10. What distinction does Hal make between two different types of her clientele?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write a critical essay about The Death of Mrs. Westaway while using the critical power theory lens of feminist theory. Use textual evidence to back up your strong, specific claim regarding the novel's treatment of gender roles, the objectification of women, female empowerment, misogyny's role within society, or any other issues related to feminist theory that can be found in the novel.

Essay Topic 2

Discuss Ware's choice to tell the story of The Death of Mrs. Westaway using a third person omniscient narrator. What elements of the novel's themes lend themselves to this choice and what are Ware’s intended effects on the reader?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss Ware’s use of the motif of water within the novel The Death of Mrs. Westaway.

(see the answer keys)

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