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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. As time passes, the narrator says thoughts of his lover are more in his ______ than his ______?
(a) Dreams, reality.
(b) Mind, body.
(c) Imagination, soul.
(d) Heart, head.

2. What still surprises the narrator about his relationship at the start of the story?
(a) How much they have in common.
(b) How hard it is to break up with her.
(c) How lucky he is to have her.
(d) How long they have been together.

3. After including the time spent with his lover and thinking of her, how much does the narrator estimate their affair costs per hour?
(a) $50.
(b) $6.
(c) $33.
(d) $24.

4. How would the narrator feel when he closed his eyes and began to dream?
(a) Frightened.
(b) Peaceful.
(c) Anxious.
(d) Depressed.

5. What else did the narrator see in his dreams beyond the dark frame of empty space?
(a) A child.
(b) A bed.
(c) A garden.
(d) A house.

Short Answer Questions

1. Who is the author of "Break It Down"?

2. How often did the narrator and his lover make love during their time together?

3. How is the narrator's lover's behavior described at the start of the story?

4. What does the narrator say he kept dreaming about while with his lover?

5. What "keeps happening" (21) between the narrator and his lover while they are together all day, which he says "adds up" (21)?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the image of the narrator's love in the coffee shop.

2. Why does the narrator choose not to kiss his lover's eyelids as he wants to while he watches her sleep?

3. What does the narrator note about his lover's skin when he talks about waking up and looking at her?

4. What is the narrator trying to break down at the start of the story?

5. How does the narrator describe his lover's behavior during the time they spend together before making love?

6. Describe the narrators dream, which he has lying beside his lover.

7. What surprising question did the narrator's lover ask him in bed one day? How did he respond? What did she think of his response?

8. How much does the narrator first say the cost of their love making was each hour?

9. How do the feelings about the narrator's affair linger after it ends at first?

10. The narrator describes a moment in bed when his lover talked nonstop late into the night, her mouth close to his ear. How did he feel during that time?

(see the answer keys)

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