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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. How does Frank feel when he smells leaf smoke on the way to Florence?

2. What kind of coffee does Frank ask Brenda about?

3. Why does Frank give the portiere 40,000 lire?

4. What is implied has happened to Eda at the end of the story?

5. Where do Frank and Alan drink in Venice?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Frank decide not to tell Alan about his conversation with Eda, and why?

2. Where do Frank and Alan take Eda, and what does Frank buy her there?

3. What does Brenda suggest to Frank about New York, and what is it implied that she is hinting about?

4. Whom do Frank and Alan meet in Arezzo, and how do they meet her?

5. In the hotel bar in Spoleto, what does Alan tell Frank about Europe, and what is Frank's response?

6. What joke does Brenda make about Italians during the conversation about espresso?

7. What do Frank and Brenda fight about when it is time for her to leave Italy, and how does Alan become involved in the argument?

8. What is Eda's reaction to Frank's explanation of the situation with Alan, and how does Frank treat her decision?

9. What has happened in Brenda's life since she and Frank broke up?

10. When Frank and Alan are leaving a Spoleto restaurant with Eda between them, what does the clerk say, and what is his meaning?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In a well-known interview with Edward Hirsch, Salter said, "Pure masculinity...is tedious and inadequate." Write an essay in which you analyze the extent to which "American Express" supports this observation. Use textual evidence to support your claims.

Essay Topic 2

When Alan and Frank exchange a look in the hotel bar in Spoleto after Eda has refused to sleep with Alan, Alan understands Frank's intentions without discussion. "They were like thieves," the narrator comments (45). In what sense are Frank and Alan like thieves? Write an essay that considers not just this scene but the entirety of the story as you make and defend a claim about Frank's and Alan's willingness to "steal" to get what they want. Be sure to support your ideas with evidence from the text.

Essay Topic 3

Look up some characteristic examples of Impressionist paintings. Then, write an essay that compares Salter's writing style to the visual style of Impressionist painting. Use examples from the text to support your claims, and cite outside sources in MLA format.

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