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

2. What "old" (22) thing does the narrator say he cannot look at without still feeling what he feels his lover?

3. What question does the narrator recall his lover asking him while they were in bed one day?

4. After including the time spent with his lover and thinking of her, how much does the narrator estimate their affair costs per hour?

5. What color are the narrator's lover's eyes?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. 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?

4. 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?

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

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

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Though there is no direct dialogue in "Break it Down," the narrator reflects on two conversations between himself and his lover. What were these conversions? What significance do they hold? Why might the author have chosen to include these?

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay about the narrator's goals and motives. What are they? Does he achieve them? Are they the same or different from his lover's goals and motives? How do you know?

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay analyzing Davis's commentary on love in "Break it Down." How is love important to the story? How does it affect the narrative? Use textual evidence to explain your analysis.

(see the answer keys)

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