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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. Why is the narrator worried about Peter in the end of the story "Returning"?

2. What does the narrator prefer to drink when she regularly drinks in "Returning"?

3. Who does the narrator begin spending a lot of time with in "Returning"?

4. In "Office Hours," what does Marie do in her old professor's office?

5. What does the narrator's mother ask about her writing in the story "Peking Duck"?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does the older professor let Marie do in "Office Hours" in his office?

2. How does the narrator eventually get out of the airport in "Returning"?

3. In "Office Hours," what conflicts does Marie have in her department?

4. In "Office Hours," what does the professor show Marie before he dies?

5. What is the purpose of the "Morning Ritual" in "Returning"?

6. Why is Sean confused at the end of "Office Hours"?

7. What is one student's criticism of the narrator's story about the nanny in "Peking Duck"?

8. What tradition do the narrator and Peter go to Garboza for in "Returning"?

9. In "Returning," what does the narrator realize when she wakes up on the plane?

10. Why does the narrator panic a bit at the end of "Returning"?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What does the mating call of the yeti and the narrator in "Yeti Lovemaking" symbolize in Ma's telling of this story? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 2

How does Ma portray the relationship and connections between the narrator in "Oranges" and the other victims of her ex-boyfriend Adam's abuse - especially Christine? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 3

How does the writing of both the narrator and Peter in the story "Returning" reflect both of these characters' anxieties and traits? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

(see the answer keys)

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