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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 is the theme of the event for which the painter decorates Bijou?

2. What does Mandra do to Miriam on the drive at the end of "Mandra?"

3. Upon her return to New York, where does the narrator/model find some modeling work?

4. What is Hilda's occupation?

5. According to the painter, what infuses Bijou's body?

Short Essay Questions

1. What leads up to Albert finally making love to his wife?

2. In "A Model," why does the narrator become a model?

3. Describe Mary's life, from the story "Mandra"

4. How does the narrator compare her attractiveness to Miriam's appeal?

5. Describe Rango.

6. How does Fay discover Albert is being unfaithful?

7. In "The Chanchiquito", what happens to the old lady in Laura's uncle's story?

8. What happens when Fay demands Albert make love to her?

9. Why does the painter in "The Queen" claim to like women such as Bijou?

10. What pictures does Jan draw on the ceiling and why?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In what ways is innocence and curiosity seen as a sexually attractive trait in some of these stories? Compose an essay on this topic and develop a clear thesis statement. Discuss the characters who have these traits, as well as the characters who become attracted to them, and the outcomes of their relationships. Certain stories that should definitely be focused on (but not exclusively) include "Little Birds" and "Runaway." Cite specific examples from the text to support your answers.

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the conflicting gender dynamics of these stories in the following format:

Part 1) Virgins and their desire to have a lover.

Part 2) The violence and pushiness of certain men (such as Rango and Pierre).

Part 3) Lina.

Part 4) The characters' abilities to take control of their own sex lives.

Part 5) Pleasure at the expense of others.

Cite specific examples from the text to support your answers.

Essay Topic 3

How is sexual repression depicted in this book? How does a sexually repressed childhood (with conflicting messages) affect Dorothy and Edna of "Two Sisters?" Why is Lina repressed, despite her reciprocated attraction to her female friend? What about Maria from "the Maja?" How does this affect her marriage to Novalis and how does it affect his art? What do all of the repressed characters have in common? What changes their outlook on sex by the end of the stories and how does it fundamentally seem to change them?

(see the answer keys)

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