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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. In what year was the latest story in this collection published?

2. With whom does Willi accidentally witness his mother having an affair?

3. At the opening of the story, how does Willi feel about his life?

4. Which of the following adjectives would Sean use to describe his work life?

5. What country was Willi Varig fighting for in WWII?

Short Essay Questions

1. What happens when Sean is trapped in an elevator in the story "Midair"?

2. What reason does Raymond Carver give about why he wanted to compose this collection of short stories?

3. How does Louise's husband react when Louise gains weight during her pregnancy?

4. What prompts the narrator in "Sonny's Blues" to reach out to his incarcerated brother?

5. What interesting behavior does Damaso exhibit while in town in the story "The Fisherman From Chihuahua"?

6. What memory does Sean have of his father from when he was a 6 year old boy in the story "Midair"?

7. What is Sean's married life like?

8. What does Sonny blame his heroin addiction on?

9. Why does Lenore comfort George at the end of the story "Weekend"?

10. Why is Willi Varig hired to tell his story to an audience of people in the story, "Talk of Heroes"?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In the story "Fever," Carlyle has three main women in his life who play a part in helping him heal from his "sickness." Describe the sickness that Carlyle suffers from in his story. Choose two of the important women in his life and describe their role in helping him heal. What is the same about their methods of care? What is different? Describe how Carlyle emerged from his sickness, and what he learned about his life and relationships while he was ill. Be sure to include examples from the text that you believe strengthen your arguments.

Essay Topic 2

In the story "The Misfits," Gay is a man who cannot commit to anything for a long period of time. Describe Gay's character and explain why he a fear of commitment. Choose one relationship in Gay's life and explain how his fear of commitment affected that relationship. Finally, describe the relationship between Gay and Perce. What brings these two men closer together? What threatens to tear them apart? Be sure to include examples from the text that you believe strengthen your arguments.

Essay Topic 3

"Water Liars" expresses the relationship between truth and story telling. Choose one of the stories that the men told on Farte's Pier and express whether or not you believe the story to be true and why. Why do the men on the pier continue to tell the story? What message is sent to the reader about the value of truth, or lack thereof, in a good story? How do the stories told at Farte's Pier help the narrator cope with his personal problems? Be sure to include examples from the text that you believe strengthen your arguments.

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