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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 phrase does the narrator of "Coda" use to describe love?

2. What does Hazel do with Mrs. Martin?

3. According to the narrator, what does Edith look like?

4. What does the narrator of "Requiescat" pray "will not rise again"?

5. In "The Willow," during what month is the earth "sweet" and "young."

Short Essay Questions

1. In the story, "Lady With a Lamp," what is Mona's illness?

2. What explains Miss Wilmarth's "curious expression" in the short story "Horsie"?

3. Compare the poems "Star Light, Star Bright--" and "Purposely Ungrammatical Love Song." How are they similar?

4. Compare the poems "Surprise," "On Being A Woman," and "Second Love." What do they have in common?

5. What kind of advice do the poems "Prologue to a Saga" and "The Lady's Reward" give to women?

6. In "Soldiers of the Republic," what does the narrator learn about the life of a soldier?

7. How does the resolution of "Big Blonde" illustrate that Hazel's troubles are recurrent cycle?

8. In "Mrs. Hofstadter on Josephine Street," how is Horace the exact opposite of what the narrator and her husband are looking for?

9. How does Hazel Morse lose her own identity in her efforts to please others in the short story "Big Blonde"?

10. What story is told through the poem "There Was One"?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Analyze Dorothy Parker's criticisms of modern life. How does she attack consumerism and societal "niceties"? What aspects of modern culture does she find fault with? What are the negative consequences of such behaviors? Be sure to provide specific examples and quotations as support for your analysis.

Essay Topic 2

Describe Dorothy Parker's writing style in her essays. How does this style compare to her short stories and poetry? How do her tone and word choice compare? What types of imagery does she use? How does her writing style influence the effectiveness of her essays? Be sure to include specific examples and quotations to support your observations.

Essay Topic 3

Analyze the theme of lost love in Dorothy Parker's poetry. How consistent or common is this theme? What do the poems reveal about Parker's attitude toward love, in particular lost love? Be sure to include specific examples and quotations to support your observations.

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