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

2. 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?

3. How would the narrator feel when he closed his eyes and began to dream?

4. How much was the plane ticket the narrator bought?

5. The narrator describes that after watching his lover sleep he finally falls asleep "lightly" (23). Why?

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

5. 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?

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

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

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

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay exploring how the story would change if written from the lover's point of view. What information might be gained or lost? How might the story's themes change?

Essay Topic 2

Read a review of "Break it Down." Write an essay about how this review impacted your own views or understanding of the story.

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay exploring Davis's decision to write a story in which the main action is in the past and only revealed through the narrator's reflection. How does this impact the reading? What might this say about the themes of the story? Do you agree with the author's choice?

(see the answer keys)

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