Title and Context
100 points: What is the full title of the story?
Answer: Silver Water
100 points: What is the story's climax?
Answer: The family realizes they can no longer care for Rose and must place her in a facility.
100 points: Who is the narrator of the story?
Answer: Violet, Rose’s sister.
100 points: Where does the story primarily take place?
Answer: In the family’s home and various care facilities.
100 points: What does Rose’s singing voice symbolize?
Answer: It symbolizes her beauty and talent, but also her fragility as her illness progresses.
200 points: Who is the author of Silver Water?
Answer: Amy Bloom
200 points: Briefly describe the exposition of the story.
Answer: Violet introduces Rose as a beautiful, talented singer whose mental illness begins to affect the family.
200 points: From what narrative perspective is the story told?
Answer: First-person perspective.
200 points: In what country is Silver Water set?
Answer: The United States.
200 points: What is one central theme of Silver Water?
Answer: The impact of mental illness on families and the limits of love and care in the face of severe mental health challenges.
300 points: In what year was Silver Water first published?
Answer: 1993
300 points: What happens during the falling action?
Answer: Rose is placed in a facility, and the family struggles with their emotions as they deal with the reality of her condition.
300 points: What is Rose’s main struggle in the story?
Answer: Rose struggles with a severe mental illness that affects her behavior and her relationships with her family.
300 points: During what time period does the story take place?
Answer: Late 20th century.
300 points: What does the title "Silver Water" symbolize?
Answer: It symbolizes Rose’s elusive nature and the family’s inability to fully grasp or save her from her illness, much like water slipping through one’s fingers.
400 points: What genre does Silver Water belong to?
Answer: Psychological Fiction
400 points: What is the story’s resolution?
Answer: Rose dies, leaving the family to reflect on their memories and grief.
400 points: What character is the primary caregiver for Rose?
Answer: Rose's mother is the primary caregiver.
400 points: How does the setting influence the story?
Answer: The suburban setting and care facilities reflect the family’s isolation and the limitations of mental health care at the time.
400 points: Give an example of a metaphor from the story and explain its meaning.
Answer: “She was drowning in her own mind” — this metaphor reflects Rose’s struggle with her mental illness, indicating that she is overwhelmed by her thoughts and emotions.
500 points: Name one significant social issue at the time the story was written that relates to mental health.
Answer: Stigma around mental illness and limited mental health care options.
500 points: Summarize the entire plot of the story in two sentences.
Answer: Silver Water follows a family coping with Rose’s mental illness and their various attempts to help her. Despite their efforts, Rose's condition worsens, and the family is eventually forced to place her in a care facility, leading to her tragic death.
500 points: Name two character traits of Violet, the narrator.
Answer: Compassionate and reflective.
500 points: Why is the geographic setting not explicitly stated?
Answer: The lack of specific geographic details makes the story more universally relatable, focusing on the emotional experiences of the family rather than a particular location.
500 points: What is the significance of the ending, and how does it tie into the theme?
Answer: The ending, where Rose dies, emphasizes the story’s theme that despite the family's love and care, some struggles with mental illness cannot be fully resolved. It highlights the emotional toll on caregivers and the limits of treatment options.