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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 is the narrator beginning to "lose" (24) in the present regarding his lover?

2. As time passes, the narrator says thoughts of his lover are more in his ______ than his ______?

3. What colors does the narrator use to describe his lover's hair when he recalls her looking up at him from the newspaper she was reading?

4. How much does the narrator calculate his love making cost?

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

Short Essay Questions

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

2. 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?

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. 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?

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

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

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

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

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay analyzing Davis's decision to tell the story using alternating point-of-view from the narrator's perspective. How does this impact the reader's understanding of the story's events? Is this effective? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay analyzing narrative voice in Davis of "Break it Down." Include thoughts on how the narrative voice of the story is effective in conveying the story’s themes.

Essay Topic 3

Write a detailed analysis of tone in Davis's "Break it Down." Include whether the tone changes or remains the same. If it changes, include details on when, why and whether this change is effective.

(see the answer keys)

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