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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. The yellowbeard suggests that doctors hide the fact that many children are born with what in “Distances”?

2. The beginning of “Kiss” finds Geryon contemplating the "cracks and fissures of" what?

3. What does Geryon recall seeing killed in “Aeroplane”?

4. Where were the animals on the carousel carved, according to Ancash in “Harrods”?

5. In the opening sentence of “Distances,” the narrator suggests that what question had intrigued Geryon for much of his life?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is significant about the reference to Helen in “Interview (Stesichoros)”?

2. How is the setting described in “Huaraz”?

3. What is suggested by the flushed cheeks of the passengers on the plane in “Gladys”?

4. Describe Geryon's circumstances in “Tunnel.” How old is he at this point in the narrative?

5. How does Geryon feel about his circumstances while traveling in “Aeroplane”?

6. How do the soldiers describe the volcano in “Photographs: I Am A Beast”?

7. What memories come to Geryon in “Tango”?

8. How is the setting described in “Roof”?

9. What motifs appear in “Slopes”? How are they introduced?

10. What is significant about Ancash's legend of his people in “Eyewitnesses”?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the theme of the developing artist in Autobiography of Red. What forms of art does Geryon experiment with in the narrative? How does Geryon advance as an artist? What statements do you think Anne Carson is making regarding the development of the artist?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the author's allusions to Gertrude Stein and to Homer in Autobiography of Red. How are these authors compared to Stesichoros? In what way have these authors innovated literature and/or poetry? What is said about the power of words in Stein's quote in the beginning of the novel?

Essay Topic 3

Describe Geryon's family members and discuss the dynamics of his family. With whom is Geryon closest growing up? Why? How would you describe Geryon's relationship with his older brother?

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