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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 trying to do at the start of the story?

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

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

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

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

Short Essay Questions

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

2. 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?

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

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

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

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

7. 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?

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

9. 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?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

Examine how memory plays a part in the plot of "Break it Down."

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay describing the imagery used in "Break it Down." Indicate examples of imagery in the text and identify possible meanings.

(see the answer keys)

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