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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 does the narrator wear that gets his picture in the newspaper in "Firestone"?

2. How old was the narrator of "Music for Lovers"'s daughter, Dawn, when she fell off the roof?

3. Why does the narrator of "Parade" specifically choose Oprah's show to appear on?

4. Who is the narrator in "The Last You'll Hear From Me"?

5. Who is the narrator of "My Manuscript"?

Short Essay Questions

1. In "Glen's Homophobia Newsletter", why is Drew having difficulty in his psychology class? What does Glen offer to do to help Drew?

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

3. Describe the narrator of "Parade"'s relationship with Bruce Springsteen (from his perspective).

4. Why does Drew react negatively after Glen shares his dreams with him in "Glen's Homophobia Newsletter"?

5. What specific directions does the narrator of "The Last You'll Hear From Me" give Eileen for the dress she is to wear to the funeral?

6. Describe Margery in "We Get Along".

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

8. Describe Dawn's relationship with Rusty in "Music for Lovers".

9. Describe the "kid from down the block", who brings Dawn records in "Music from Lovers", from the narrator's perspective.

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

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

The titles of many of the stories in "Barrel Fever" have an ironic twist to them. Select three of the following stories and discuss how the title of each story reflects an irony presented in the story.

1) "Parade"

2) "Music for Lovers"

3) "We Get Along"

4) "Firestone"

5) "After Malison"

6) "Barrel Fever"

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

Essay Topic 3

Look at the ordering of the stories in the collection and write an essay:

1) describing the progression of stories in the collection, and

2) explaining why you think the author chose to order the stories in this way.

Be sure to use specific examples from the stories to support your ideas.

(see the answer keys)

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