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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. Who does the narrator of "Music for Lovers" picture attending his imaginary nightclub act?

2. What did Nick Papanides like to cook with eggplant in "We Get Along"?

3. What word makes Chad's grandmother fall to her feet praying in "My Manuscript"?

4. Which of the following is NOT something Sandy convinces the narrator's mother to do in "We Get Along"?

5. Why does Glen urge readers to boycott Dave's Kwik Stop in "Glen's Homophobia Newsletter"?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe The Sportsman in "We Get Along".

2. In "Music for Lovers", why does the narrator often give his daughter stitches? What does he recommend when giving someone stitches?

3. How is Don's success in "Don's Story" ironic?

4. Describe Chad's father's childhood in "My Manuscript".

5. What is the genre of "Don's Story"? How is it a "spoof" on an actual piece in this genre?

6. Describe the instances of "homophobia" that Glen believes he experiences after speaking with Drew on the phone in "Glen's Homophobia Newsletter".

7. In "We Get Along", what do the narrator and his mother do late at night? Why?

8. Describe the scene at Barbra Streisand's house in "Don's Story".

9. Describe the narrator's experience with the woman on the bus in "Firestone".

10. What insults does the narrator of "The Last You'll Hear From Me" hurl at Annette and Randy?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Popular culture plays a huge role in the stories in "Barrel Fever" Select three of the stories that feature popular culture and:

1) describe how the story uses popular culture,

2) discuss how the presence of popular culture in the story influences the reader's experience of the story, and

3) analyze why the author uses each example of popular culture in the story.

Be sure to use evidence from the stories to support your ideas.

Essay Topic 2

Each of the stories in "Barrel Fever" has its own unique narrator. Select 4 of the stories and:

1) describe the narrator of each story,

2) discuss the role the narrator plays in the story, and

3) examine the ways the narrator influences how the reader experiences the story.

Be sure to use evidence from the stories to support your ideas.

Essay Topic 3

The final four pieces in "Barrel Fever" are listed as "essays". In your essay,

1) describe the qualities that an essay typically has,

2) discuss how two of these pieces fit the genre of essay, and

3) discuss how two of these pieces present a unique take on the genre of essay.

Be sure to use evidence from the stories to support your ideas.

(see the answer keys)

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