Short Answer Questions Chapter 11. The narrator thinks of time as having a what?2. What does the narrator compare time to?3. What relationship does Stephen have to the narrator?4. How old is the narrator in the book's first flashback?5. What relationship does Cordelia have to the narrator?6. Who would the narrator and Cordelia analyze on the streetcars?7. What adjective best describes the narrator and Cordelia on the streetcar?8. What does the narrator say she's not ready to give up, even at fifty, though it's a nuisance?9. What makes the narrator remember Cordelia?10. Does the narrator think she'd recognize Cordelia today?11. In the present time, where does the narrator look as she walks down the street?12. What part of the narrator's body is bloodied?

Chapter 21. What adjective did people use to describe Toronto in the past?2. When Elaine dreams of Toronto, where is she?3. What careers do Elaine's daughters have?4. What word does Elaine use to describe her profession?5. Elaine thinks that others consider people in her profession to be:6. Who offered Elaine a place to stay in Toronto?7. What does Jon's note to Elaine under the mat say?8. What does John make for a living?9. What has someone drawn on the poster for her art exhibit that Elaine sees?10. As a young girl, what does Elaine collect?11. What job does Elaine's father get in Toronto?12. Does Elaine know the Santa Claus in the parade is not the real Santa?

Chapter 31. What does Elaine buy for the art exhibit?2. At the store, what does someone try to steal from Elaine?3. Why does Elaine think Carol is a sissy?4. What is wrong with Grace Smeath's mother?5. Does Elaine color differently with her friends than with her brother?6. How does Elaine feel about girlish things like braids and purses?7. How does Elaine feel about Grace Smeath's mother?8. Where does Elaine's family go for vacation?9. What is one of Elaine's favorite childhood games?10. What is Elaine's favorite color?11. What does Cordelia warn that nightshade berries do?12. What do the girls make with weed flowers, nightshade berries, leaves, and horse chestnuts?

Chapter 41. How did Elaine feel about coming to her art retrospective?2. What is Ben's advice to Elaine about going to the art retrospective?3. Does Elaine like the gallery where her art is exhibited?4. Why doesn't Elaine want to look at her paintings?

5. Does Elaine know about the interview?6. Where does Mrs. Smeath ask Elaine to go with her family?7. Does Elaine like memorizing psalms for Sunday School?8. What shape is the hole Cordelia begins to dig in the back yard?9. What is Cordelia digging a hole for?10. What are the girls playing when they put Elaine into the hole?11. What do the girls put over Elaine?12. How old does Elaine turn soon after the incident with the hole?

Chapter 51. What does Elaine notice about the boys and girls at Tortonto's shopping centers?2. What store does Elaine go to?3. Who do the little girls from Elaine's memories remind her of?4. Where do Elaine and her friends watch the Christmas parade from?5. What is strange about the girls' seating arrangements at the parade?6. What do Elaine's friends say she's done wrong that makes them not speak to her at the Christmas parade?7. During the Christmas parade, what does Cordelia scold Elaine for after her father leaves?8. What does Elaine try to do instead of playing with her friends?9. What do Elaine's friends tell her about their bullying?10. Why does Elaine make mistakes on her Sunday School tests?11. What job does Elaine give up?12. What starts to happen to Elaine when her family is on its summer trip?

Chapter 61. What does Elaine have to drink while she's at the store?2. Why did Elaine paint artworks of her mother after she died?3. Who does Elaine see on the escalator after she has her drink?4. What does Elaine keep in her pocket for protection?5. Where do the girls stare at Elaine from as she walks home from school?6. Who does Elaine think is telling her to die?7. What does Elaine's mother tell her to do?8. What famous figure is coming to Toronto?9. Why does Elaine lie about the number of Valentines she got?10. Which of the girls is physically maturing ahead of the others?11. How does Elaine feel about the boys?12. What trick does Elaine begin using to get out of situations she doesn't like?

Chapter 71. What did Elaine think of Jon's dirty mattress when they were first dating?2. What did Jon's ex-girlfriend throw at him and Elaine?3. What does Elaine stop to eat downtown at the beginning of Chapter 7?4. What do the two women Elaine hears talking about her at the Smeath house call her?5. How does Mrs. Smeath characterize the children's mistreatment of Elaine?6. Why does Elaine stop reciting the prayers at church?7. Who does Elaine pray to instead of God?8. What does Cordelia do with Elaine's hat?9. How long does Elaine stay home after being in the cold water?10. What does Cordelia do after Elaine is sick from being in the cold water?

11. What does Cordelia want to punish Elaine for, after the incident with the cold water?12. What is the name of the new friend that Elaine makes?

Chapter 81. What type of church did Elaine like best, when she would go to different churches on impulse?2. What did Elaine look for in churches?3. Where did Elaine see a beautiful and meaningful Virgin Mary statue?4. What was the purpose of the beautiful and meaningful Virgin Mary statue Elaine saw?5. What grade is Cordelia in when Elaine is in sixth grade?6. What is different about Elaine's sixth grade school?7. What happens to the bridge over the ravine?8. Does Elaine have a boyfriend in sixth grade?9. What does Elaine do to her hair when she's in eighth grade?10. What does Elaine do with her old toys and childhood things?11. Why is Cordelia in Elaine's class in high school?12. Where does Elaine's brother Stephen go to school?

Chapter 91. How is Elaine described in the article about her in Entertainment?2. How does Elaine think Cordelia might react to the article?3. Who do Cordelia and Elaine make a game of making fun of in tenth grade?4. How does Elaine describe herself in the eleventh grade?5. How does Cordelia feel when Elaine insults her?6. What makes boys feel uneasy with Cordelia?7. In the play Cordelia is in, what is the cabbage supposed to be?8. How does Elaine react to Cordelia's embarrassment during the play?9. When Cordelia was young, what did she drink to avoid school?10. Why did Cordelia dig holes in the yard when she was young?11. How does Cordelia do on her exams?12. How does Cordelia look when Elaine visits her after Cordelia moves?

Chapter 101. Where does Elaine go to meet her ex-husband?2. Is Elaine's ex-husband on time?3. What is the name of Elaine's painting about women who hurt themselves by falling on men they love?4. What does Mr. Hrbik say Elaine's first nude female drawing from a live model looks like?5. What type of clothes does Elaine wear in college?6. Where does Elaine live while she's attending college?7. Does Josef want to keep his affair with Elaine a secret?8. Where does Elaine work while she's in college?9. What does Cordelia do after she runs away from home?10. How does Josef begin to treat Elaine?11. What does Elaine do when Jon first takes her out for a beer?12. What does Jon call Elaine?

Chapter 111. How would Elaine feel if her daughters were with someone like Josef or Jon?

2. What does the Middle Eastern woman ask Elaine for money for?3. Does Elaine give the woman money?4. What does Elaine find, after Susie calls her urgently for help?5. What does Elaine do when she finds Susie injured?6. What type of job does Elaine get when she graduates college?7. How does Elaine think Jon will react to her pregnancy?8. What artists are represented at Elaine's first art show?9. What does the angry woman at the art show throw at Elaine's paintings?10. Who does Elaine think the angry woman is at first?11. How does Elaine actually feel when she finally sees Cordelia at the rest home?12. Does Elaine agree to help Cordelia get out of the rest home?

Chapter 121. What movie does Elaine think could have been directed by Josef?2. How does Elaine believe Josef thought of women?3. Where is the bar that Elaine meets Jon for a drink?4. Does Elaine think sleeping with Jon is disloyal to her husband?5. What does Jon accuse Elaine of, after she confronts him about a woman calling the house for him?6. What does Elaine tell Jon, when he accuses her of still sleeping with other men?7. What is malfunctioning in Elaine and Jon's apartment?8. How does Elaine try to kill herself?9. Who finds Elaine after her suicide attempt?10. What does Elaine feel like an expert at?11. What job does Elaine get after leaving Jon?12. What does Elaine's therapist accuse her of?

Chapter 131. What time does Elaine wake at the beginning of Chapter 13?2. Where does Elaine go to, instead of going to the gallery to see if things are running smoothly?3. What old route does Elaine walk?4. What time of year is it when Elaine has her art retrospective?5. What do the people of Mexico leave for the dead that Elaine muses about?6. How long ago did Stephen die?7. Who killed Stephen?8. What has happened to Elaine's father?9. What has happened to Elaine's mother?10. What does Elaine's mother talk about?11. What incident does Elaine claim not to remember?12. What does Elaine find in her parents' cellar?

Chapter 141. What colour dress does Elaine wear for the gallery opening?2. Does Elaine arrive at the gallery on time?3. Who is at the gallery when Elaine arrives?4. How does Elaine feel as she views her paintings?5. Where does Charna ask Elaine to go?6. What does Charna say that the attendees at the art retrospective feel about Elaine?

7. Who does Elaine think of seeing, when she goes to meet the attendees at the art retrospective?8. How does Elaine feel when she leaves the retrospective for the studio?9. What does Elaine do at the studio, after the art retrospective?10. What does Elaine try to tell herself about Cordelia after the art retrospective?11. Is the art retrospective a success?12. Who contradicts Elaine's thoughts at the end of Chapter 14?

Chapter 151. What does Elaine miss the morning after the retrospective?2. How is Elaine feeling the morning after the retrospective?3. Where does Elaine go the morning after the retrospective?4. What does Elaine think about that's buried somewhere?5. What emotions does Elaine attribute to Cordelia?6. What does Elaine tell the woman she thinks is Cordelia7. Who does Elaine watch on the plane going home?8. How are the people Elaine watches on the plane behaving?9. How old do the people Elaine watches on the plane act?10. Who does Elaine compare the people she watches on the plane to?11. What does Elaine realize she'll never have with Cordelia again?12. Where is Elaine at the end of the novel?

Short Answer Key

Chapter 11. The narrator thinks of time as having a what?

Slope.

2. What does the narrator compare time to?

Water.

3. What relationship does Stephen have to the narrator?

Brother.

4. How old is the narrator in the book's first flashback?

A teenager.

5. What relationship does Cordelia have to the narrator?

Best friend.

6. Who would the narrator and Cordelia analyze on the streetcars?

Old ladies.

7. What adjective best describes the narrator and Cordelia on the streetcar?

Critical.

8. What does the narrator say she's not ready to give up, even at fifty, though it's a nuisance?

Vanity.

9. What makes the narrator remember Cordelia?

Coming back to the town where they knew each other.

10. Does the narrator think she'd recognize Cordelia today?

No, she doesn't think either would recognize the other.

11. In the present time, where does the narrator look as she walks down the street?

At the sidewalk.

12. What part of the narrator's body is bloodied?

Her fingers.

Chapter 21. What adjective did people use to describe Toronto in the past?

Dull.

2. When Elaine dreams of Toronto, where is she?

Lost.

3. What careers do Elaine's daughters have?

Accountant and doctor.

4. What word does Elaine use to describe her profession?

Painter.

5. Elaine thinks that others consider people in her profession to be:

Lazy.

6. Who offered Elaine a place to stay in Toronto?

Her ex-husband.

7. What does Jon's note to Elaine under the mat say?

Blessings.

8. What does John make for a living?

Resin body parts for movies.

9. What has someone drawn on the poster for her art exhibit that Elaine sees?

A mustache.

10. As a young girl, what does Elaine collect?

Silver paper from cigarette packs.

11. What job does Elaine's father get in Toronto?

University professor.

12. Does Elaine know the Santa Claus in the parade is not the real Santa?

Yes, she knows he is someone dressed as Santa.

Chapter 31. What does Elaine buy for the art exhibit?

A new dress.

2. At the store, what does someone try to steal from Elaine?

Her wallet.

3. Why does Elaine think Carol is a sissy?

Carol thinks Elaine's father's lab is gross.

4. What is wrong with Grace Smeath's mother?

A bad heart.

5. Does Elaine color differently with her friends than with her brother?

Yes, she colors differently in the world of girls.

6. How does Elaine feel about girlish things like braids and purses?

She begins to want them.

7. How does Elaine feel about Grace Smeath's mother?

She feels badly for her.

8. Where does Elaine's family go for vacation?

To the woods.

9. What is one of Elaine's favorite childhood games?

Marbles.

10. What is Elaine's favorite color?

Green.

11. What does Cordelia warn that nightshade berries do?

Turn you into a zombie.

12. What do the girls make with weed flowers, nightshade berries, leaves, and horse chestnuts?

Pretend meals.

Chapter 41. How did Elaine feel about coming to her art retrospective?

She didn't want to go.

2. What is Ben's advice to Elaine about going to the art retrospective?

He tells her not to go.

3. Does Elaine like the gallery where her art is exhibited?

No, she doesn't like the environment.

4. Why doesn't Elaine want to look at her paintings?

She finds mistakes and wants to start over.

5. Does Elaine know about the interview?

No, she's surprised and not happy.

6. Where does Mrs. Smeath ask Elaine to go with her family?

Church.

7. Does Elaine like memorizing psalms for Sunday School?

Yes, she enjoys memorizing psalms.

8. What shape is the hole Cordelia begins to dig in the back yard?

Square.

9. What is Cordelia digging a hole for?

A clubhouse.

10. What are the girls playing when they put Elaine into the hole?

Mary, Queen of Scots.

11. What do the girls put over Elaine?

Boards.

12. How old does Elaine turn soon after the incident with the hole?

Nine.

Chapter 51. What does Elaine notice about the boys and girls at Tortonto's shopping centers?

They look like each other.

2. What store does Elaine go to?

Simpson's Department Store.

3. Who do the little girls from Elaine's memories remind her of?

Lady Macbeth.

4. Where do Elaine and her friends watch the Christmas parade from?

The building where her father works.

5. What is strange about the girls' seating arrangements at the parade?

None of the girls sits near Elaine.

6. What do Elaine's friends say she's done wrong that makes them not speak to her at the Christmas parade?

They say she's said something wrong, but they won't say what.

7. During the Christmas parade, what does Cordelia scold Elaine for after her father leaves?

Being impolite and not saying anything.

8. What does Elaine try to do instead of playing with her friends?

Housework.

9. What do Elaine's friends tell her about their bullying?

That they are trying to help her improve herself.

10. Why does Elaine make mistakes on her Sunday School tests?

So the girls won't call her a goody-goody.

11. What job does Elaine give up?

Taking a neighbor's baby for strolls around the block.

12. What starts to happen to Elaine when her family is on its summer trip?

She starts having nightmares.

Chapter 61. What does Elaine have to drink while she's at the store?

A cappuccino.

2. Why did Elaine paint artworks of her mother after she died?

To keep her timeless.

3. Who does Elaine see on the escalator after she has her drink?

A drunk woman asking for money.

4. What does Elaine keep in her pocket for protection?

A cat's eye marble.

5. Where do the girls stare at Elaine from as she walks home from school?

The bridge.

6. Who does Elaine think is telling her to die?

Cordelia.

7. What does Elaine's mother tell her to do?

Stand up for herself.

8. What famous figure is coming to Toronto?

Princess Elizabeth.

9. Why does Elaine lie about the number of Valentines she got?

She got more than her friends.

10. Which of the girls is physically maturing ahead of the others?

Carol.

11. How does Elaine feel about the boys?

As if they are on her side.

12. What trick does Elaine begin using to get out of situations she doesn't like?

Fainting.

Chapter 71. What did Elaine think of Jon's dirty mattress when they were first dating?

She liked it.

2. What did Jon's ex-girlfriend throw at him and Elaine?

Spaghetti.

3. What does Elaine stop to eat downtown at the beginning of Chapter 7?

Pizza.

4. What do the two women Elaine hears talking about her at the Smeath house call her?

A heathen.

5. How does Mrs. Smeath characterize the children's mistreatment of Elaine?

As God's punishment for Elaine.

6. Why does Elaine stop reciting the prayers at church?

Because she can't forgive Mrs. Smeath.

7. Who does Elaine pray to instead of God?

The Virgin Mary.

8. What does Cordelia do with Elaine's hat?

She throws it into a ravine.

9. How long does Elaine stay home after being in the cold water?

Two days.

10. What does Cordelia do after Elaine is sick from being in the cold water?

She makes an apology she doesn't mean.

11. What does Cordelia want to punish Elaine for, after the incident with the cold water?

Telling on the girls.

12. What is the name of the new friend that Elaine makes?

Jill.

Chapter 8

1. What type of church did Elaine like best, when she would go to different churches on impulse?

Catholic churches.

2. What did Elaine look for in churches?

Statues of holy figures.

3. Where did Elaine see a beautiful and meaningful Virgin Mary statue?

Mexico.

4. What was the purpose of the beautiful and meaningful Virgin Mary statue Elaine saw?

To restore what is lost.

5. What grade is Cordelia in when Elaine is in sixth grade?

Eighth grade.

6. What is different about Elaine's sixth grade school?

The boys and girls aren't separate.

7. What happens to the bridge over the ravine?

It's torn down and replaced.

8. Does Elaine have a boyfriend in sixth grade?

Yes, she says it's the fashion.

9. What does Elaine do to her hair when she's in eighth grade?

She cuts it short.

10. What does Elaine do with her old toys and childhood things?

Packs them up in the basement.

11. Why is Cordelia in Elaine's class in high school?

She failed her first year and was expelled from her school.

12. Where does Elaine's brother Stephen go to school?

At a private advanced school.

Chapter 91. How is Elaine described in the article about her in Entertainment?

As a crotchety artist with the power to disturb.

2. How does Elaine think Cordelia might react to the article?

By laughing.

3. Who do Cordelia and Elaine make a game of making fun of in tenth grade?

The Smeaths.

4. How does Elaine describe herself in the eleventh grade?

As having a mean mouth.

5. How does Cordelia feel when Elaine insults her?

Hurt.

6. What makes boys feel uneasy with Cordelia?

Her manner of speech.

7. In the play Cordelia is in, what is the cabbage supposed to be?

A severed head.

8. How does Elaine react to Cordelia's embarrassment during the play?

Elaine makes fun of it.

9. When Cordelia was young, what did she drink to avoid school?

Mercury.

10. Why did Cordelia dig holes in the yard when she was young?

To sit in them and feel safe.

11. How does Cordelia do on her exams?

She fails them.

12. How does Cordelia look when Elaine visits her after Cordelia moves?

Pale and unwell.

Chapter 101. Where does Elaine go to meet her ex-husband?

A restaurant.

2. Is Elaine's ex-husband on time?

No, he is late and apologizes.

3. What is the name of Elaine's painting about women who hurt themselves by falling on men they love?

Falling Women.

4. What does Mr. Hrbik say Elaine's first nude female drawing from a live model looks like?

A corpse.

5. What type of clothes does Elaine wear in college?

Black turtlenecks and jeans.

6. Where does Elaine live while she's attending college?

At home.

7. Does Josef want to keep his affair with Elaine a secret?

Yes, he tells her not to tell Susie.

8. Where does Elaine work while she's in college?

The Swiss Chalet.

9. What does Cordelia do after she runs away from home?

Joins the Stratford Shakespearean festival.

10. How does Josef begin to treat Elaine?

He tells her how to dress and wear her hair.

11. What does Elaine do when Jon first takes her out for a beer?

Cries.

12. What does Jon call Elaine?

Pal.

Chapter 111. How would Elaine feel if her daughters were with someone like Josef or Jon?

Horrified.

2. What does the Middle Eastern woman ask Elaine for money for?

To feed her children.

3. Does Elaine give the woman money?

Yes, Elaine gives her money.

4. What does Elaine find, after Susie calls her urgently for help?

Susie has hurt herself trying to give herself an abortion.

5. What does Elaine do when she finds Susie injured?

She brings Susie to the hospital.

6. What type of job does Elaine get when she graduates college?

Designing book covers.

7. How does Elaine think Jon will react to her pregnancy?

She thinks Jon won't want the baby.

8. What artists are represented at Elaine's first art show?

All women artists.

9. What does the angry woman at the art show throw at Elaine's paintings?

Ink.

10. Who does Elaine think the angry woman is at first?

Grace.

11. How does Elaine actually feel when she finally sees Cordelia at the rest home?

Glad to see her.

12. Does Elaine agree to help Cordelia get out of the rest home?

No, Elaine is afraid of what may happen.

Chapter 121. What movie does Elaine think could have been directed by Josef?

One where a woman went crazy because of men.

2. How does Elaine believe Josef thought of women?

As not being real.

3. Where is the bar that Elaine meets Jon for a drink?

On the roof of a hotel.

4. Does Elaine think sleeping with Jon is disloyal to her husband?

No, she doesn't think it has anything to do with him.

5. What does Jon accuse Elaine of, after she confronts him about a woman calling the house for him?

Seeing Josef while they were dating.

6. What does Elaine tell Jon, when he accuses her of still sleeping with other men?

That she doesn't have time.

7. What is malfunctioning in Elaine and Jon's apartment?

The heat.

8. How does Elaine try to kill herself?

By slitting her wrists.

9. Who finds Elaine after her suicide attempt?

Jon.

10. What does Elaine feel like an expert at?

Leaving.

11. What job does Elaine get after leaving Jon?

Furniture refinisher.

12. What does Elaine's therapist accuse her of?

Hiding things.

Chapter 131. What time does Elaine wake at the beginning of Chapter 13?

Late.

2. Where does Elaine go to, instead of going to the gallery to see if things are running smoothly?

Her old home.

3. What old route does Elaine walk?

The route from school.

4. What time of year is it when Elaine has her art retrospective?

Autumn.

5. What do the people of Mexico leave for the dead that Elaine muses about?

Plates.

6. How long ago did Stephen die?

Five years.

7. Who killed Stephen?

Terrorists.

8. What has happened to Elaine's father?

He has died.

9. What has happened to Elaine's mother?

She is dying of an illness.

10. What does Elaine's mother talk about?

Stephen as a young child.

11. What incident does Elaine claim not to remember?

Her friends leaving her outside to freeze.

12. What does Elaine find in her parents' cellar?

Her cat's eye marble.

Chapter 141. What color dress does Elaine wear for the gallery opening?

Black.

2. Does Elaine arrive at the gallery on time?

Yes, Elaine is early.

3. Who is at the gallery when Elaine arrives?

No one.

4. How does Elaine feel as she views her paintings?

Interested.

5. Where does Charna ask Elaine to go?

To the back office.

6. What does Charna say that the attendees at the art retrospective feel about Elaine?

Pride.

7. Who does Elaine think of seeing, when she goes to meet the attendees at the art retrospective?

Cordelia.

8. How does Elaine feel when she leaves the retrospective for the studio?

Drunk.

9. What does Elaine do at the studio, after the art retrospective?

Cry.

10. What does Elaine try to tell herself about Cordelia after the art retrospective?

That Cordelia is dead.

11. Is the art retrospective a success?

Yes, but that doesn't seem important to Elaine.

12. Who contradicts Elaine's thoughts at the end of Chapter 14?

A voice in Elaine's head.

Chapter 151. What does Elaine miss the morning after the retrospective?

Her plane.

2. How is Elaine feeling the morning after the retrospective?

She has a hangover.

3. Where does Elaine go the morning after the retrospective?

The bridge.

4. What does Elaine think about that's buried somewhere?

Stephen's jar of marbles.

5. What emotions does Elaine attribute to Cordelia?

Sick and shameful feelings.

6. What does Elaine tell the woman she thinks is Cordelia?

That it's all right and she can go home.

7. Who does Elaine watch on the plane going home?

Two older ladies.

8. How are the people Elaine watches on the plane behaving?

They seem to be having a great time.

9. How old do the people Elaine watches on the plane act?

As if they are thirteen.

10. Who does Elaine compare the people she watches on the plane to?

Herself and Cordelia.

11. What does Elaine realize she'll never have with Cordelia again?

Friendship.

12. Where is Elaine at the end of the novel?On a plane.