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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 Renee wear a handkerchief to work?

2. Why is Renee embarrassed?

3. In what way does Paloma's mother differ from most of the tenants in the building?

4. What surprises Manuela when she arrives at Renee's apartment?

5. What arrives for Columbe?

Short Essay Questions

1. What fight does Paloma describe between her mother and another woman?

2. Why does Paloma's mother take her to a therapist and what fascinates her about him?

3. What does Kakuro send Renee and what does she do?

4. What does Renee think of Kakuro's bathroom and what surprises her about it?

5. What does Paloma want of Renee when she comes to Renee's door at eight?

6. What does Renee think is wrong with Columbe's thesis and why?

7. Why does Paloma prefer her aunt and uncle over her own parents?

8. With whom does Paloma have tea and how does she respond to the event?

9. Why does Paloma displease a teacher at her school?

10. How does Renee obtain a dress for her date and what disturbs her about the dress?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Renee is not terribly impressed with most of the tenants, looking down on them because they are so filled with their own beliefs that they cannot see what is right in front of them. For this reason, Renee feels somewhat superior to the wealthy tenants of the building. Renee also tells the reader how she is mainly uneducated, only learning how to read because a teacher took special interest in the affection starved child she once was. This too is how Renee ended up married to her husband, because he saw past the masks and her ugliness to see the woman underneath. Renee feels that although her husband was not her intellectual equal, he was a good man and they had a good marriage.

1. Discuss reasons why Renee has formed her opinion of the tenants in her building. Use examples from the book and your own life to support your reasoning.

2. Do you think most people do not notice service people around them, such as concierges, store clerks, mail carriers, etc.? Why or why not? How might this affect these people? Use examples from the book and your own life to support your reasoning.

3. What are the ways in which people could interact with others in order to see past the surface characteristics? Use examples from the book and your own life to support your reasoning.

Essay Topic 2

Oftentimes, a book has more of a character-driven plot rather than action driven, and oftentimes the other way. Some books seem to balance the two. Discuss the following:

1. What do you think it means to say that a plot is character driven? Action driven?

2. How do you think a plot differs if it is character driven versus action driven?

3. Which type of plot do you find more interesting? Why?

4. Do you think it is possible to have a plot where action and character development share equal time? Why or why not.

5. What type of plot do you think "The Elegance of the Hedgehog" is? Explain your response.

Essay Topic 3

1. What is foreshadowing? How many incidences of foreshadowing are in "The Elegance of the Hedgehog"? How does foreshadowing contribute to a book's suspense?

2. Discuss an example of foreshadowing in "The Elegance of the Hedgehog" including why you believe it is foreshadowing. Include examples from the book and your own life to illustrate your answer.

3. How do you think most people react to uncertainty in their lives? Use examples from "The Elegance of the Hedgehog" and your own live to support your opinion.

(see the answer keys)

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