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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. How is the narrator's lover's behavior described at the start of the story?
(a) She was always smiling and singing.
(b) She was loud and obnoxious.
(c) She was often quiet and distant.
(d) She was moody and mercurial.

2. How much was the plane ticket the narrator bought?
(a) $950.
(b) $1,000.
(c) $600.
(d) $150.

3. What "keeps happening" (21) between the narrator and his lover while they are together all day, which he says "adds up" (21)?
(a) The misunderstandings.
(b) The deep discussions.
(c) The disagreements.
(d) The touches and smiles.

4. What is the narrator beginning to "lose" (24) in the present regarding his lover?
(a) His understanding of what he saw in her.
(b) The feeling of being with her.
(c) HIs desire to see her again.
(d) His love for her.

5. Aside from the flight, what did the narrator pay for during his trip?
(a) Silk pajamas.
(b) Hotel and food.
(c) Massages and tours.
(d) A new suit and tie.

Short Answer Questions

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

2. What is the narrator staring at at the start of "Break it Down"?

3. What still surprises the narrator about his relationship at the start of the story?

4. How did the narrator feel when his lover talked "late in the night...faster and faster" (25)?

5. What does the narrator say he becomes afraid of as distance grows between the time spent with his lover and the present?

Short Essay Questions

1. 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?

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

3. After including the entire day he and his lover spend together and all the bits that add up, how much does he say he has spent per hour?

4. What type of questions does the narrator say he begins to ask himself after "the pictures start to go" (25) of his time with his lover?

5. Based on what the narrator says he spent in the first few paragraphs, what did he and his lover do during their trip?

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

7. What are the feelings the narrator experiences when he starts to lose the feeling of being with his lover?

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

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

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

(see the answer keys)

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