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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 Giovanna's father especially like about her appearance?

2. What does Ida tell Giovanna about Vittoria?

3. Who does Angela end up dating?

4. What does Giovanna think of Costanza's appearance in general?

5. When does Vittoria tell Nella she will bring Giovanna back from their trip in Part II?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the first lie Giovanna tells Angela and Ida?

2. Why does Vittoria tell Giovanna that Giovanna's father avoids cemeteries?

3. How do Giovanna's parents react when she says she wants to meet Vittoria?

4. How does Giovanna feel about Vittoria after their first meeting?

5. What does Vittoria tell Giovanna about herself and Enzo that enthralls Giovanna?

6. What does Giovanna witness between her mother, Nella, and Mariano one night that shocks her in Part II?

7. What does Giovanna discover in her parents' photo albums?

8. What are some of the reasons Giovanna's parents tell her to explain the rift between them and Vittoria?

9. What does Vittoria tell Giovanna about a gift she supposedly gave Giovanna when she was a baby?

10. What does Giovanna overhear her father telling her mother about her two years before he leaves the family?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay explaining the connections Giovanna draws between anxiety and ugliness at the beginning of the novel, citing specific references to the text to help support your answers.

Essay Topic 2

What does Giovanna think about Vittoria after their first meeting? Why do you think Giovanna's parents agree to let her meet Vittoria, given their hostile feelings towards Vittoria? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your answers.

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay explaining what you think Giovanna means at the very end of the novel when she says of her impending trip to Venice with Ida,"On the train, we promised each other to become adults as no one ever had before" (322).

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 652 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample