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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What does Reta do in lieu of attending the funeral for the person at Scribano & Lawrence?
(a) Reta sends flowers and a note.
(b) Reta grieves at home with her family.
(c) Reta does nothing.
(d) Reta brings a plant to the office.

2. Who is Reta's mentor?
(a) Danielle Westerman.
(b) Tom Winters
(c) Colin Glass.
(d) Madame Sylvia.

3. According to Reta's writer friends at the Orange Blossom Room, why are women excluded from real life?
(a) Because men view women as incapable of rational thought.
(b) Because men view women as more capable and superior.
(c) Because men view women as lacking moral authority and capability.
(d) Because men view women as superior to everyday concerns.

4. What is the idea Reta shrinks from when it comes to writing her book?
(a) Reta shrinks from the idea of being prudish.
(b) Reta shrinks from the idea of being too explicit.
(c) Reta shrinks from the idea of not being truthful.
(d) Reta shrinks from the idea of writing nonfiction.

5. What is Reta's struggle about what a writer of fiction should give the reader?
(a) How many metaphors and similes should be used.
(b) How much her characters should be like her readers.
(c) How many points of view should be given.
(d) How much background information should be given.

Short Answer Questions

1. What sport have Christine and Natalie given up playing on Saturdays to spend the day with Norah?

2. What American event are Tom and the girls presently fixated on as they watch the news?

3. According to Reta, what is "full of rough corners that seem to me just about to come into their full beauty"?

4. What kind of woman does Reta realize she cannot create for a heroine in her novel?

5. What kind of world is Reta interested in creating for her characters?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Norah make the sarcastic observation in her letter to Alexander Valkner that he must have suffered from extreme fatigue when he thought of his list of "literary big cats"?

2. Why does Reta realize that she cannot create a perfect woman as a hero in her novel?

3. Why does Reta view her trip to the library as a way of reconnecting with Norah?

4. Why does Danielle believe that Norah has embraced her powerlessness in society by living as a homeless person?

5. Describe Norah's thoughts about the two main characters in her novel, and why they are significant.

6. What does Reta's husband Tom do for a living and how is it significant concerning Norah's absence?

7. Describe Reta's feelings about the formation of her inner dialogue, the "longest conversation" that goes on in a lifetime in a person's mind.

8. How does the American election results in Florida that Tom, Christine, and Natalie watch relate to Norah's absence?

9. What attempt does Reta make to bribe her daughter Norah to come home when she visits her on her street corner and how successful is she?

10. Describe Reta Winter's thoughts and feelings as the novel opens.

(see the answer keys)

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