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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. Arthur tells Reta the day after Christmas that he has read all the reviews for what book?
(a) Thyme in Bloom.
(b) The Goodness Gap.
(c) My Thyme is Up.
(d) Great Minds of the Western Intellectual World.

2. Who works as a trombonist?
(a) Danielle.
(b) Alicia.
(c) Emma.
(d) Roman.

3. According to Tom, what is the cause of the condition of Norah's hands?
(a) Self-mutilation.
(b) Second-degree burns.
(c) A fall.
(d) A fight.

4. How does Reta sign her letter about the obituary in the Globe and Mail?
(a) I will not forgive you. Rita Hayworth Orange Blossom City.
(b) I forgive you too. Rita Hayworth Orange Blossom City.
(c) I grieve for you too. Rita Hayworth Orange Blossom City.
(d) I no longer mourn for you. Rita Hayworth Orange Blossom City.

5. Why has Danielle deleted her early life and reinvented herself?
(a) Because she suffered from an accident and has trouble remembering.
(b) Because she feels the past must be forgotten in order to move forward.
(c) Because her early life is too painful and she wants to forget everything.
(d) Because she thinks it is important for feminists to assume new identities.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Reta mention in her letter about the obituary that she wants from the universe?

2. In Reta's letter to Ford-Halpern, what failure is "a moral dilemma in itself"?

3. What does Arthur consider the last chapter in Reta's novel to be?

4. What does Reta notice on Norah's wrists?

5. What does Norah use to try and put out the flames from the woman's fire?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Reta and Tom's walk in Orangetown cemetery represent?

2. What is Reta's central point in her letter to Helt?

3. How does Arthur feel about Roman, the other main character in Reta's novel?

4. What is Reta's impression of Arthur Springer when she finally meets him at her home in January and how do they get into a heated discussion?

5. What rationale does Reta offer about the importance of novels despite moral injustice in the world?

6. How do the meetings with her friends at the Orange Blossom Room ground Reta in reality?

7. Why does Reta feel that Arthur's suggestion to focus on Roman instead of Alicia is an egregious one?

8. Why does an older friend of Reta's advise her to read obituaries as a young writer?

9. According to Reta, why is goodness not a guaranteed virtue?

10. In her letter to Russell Sandor, Reta states that she fears nothing. Why does she feel this way and how does she prove it in her letter?

(see the answer keys)

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