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

2. What does the narrator know will happen each day he spends with his lover?

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

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

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

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

8. 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?

9. 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?

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

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

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?

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay exploring the theme of remorse in "Break it Down." When and how is this theme revealed? Does the narrator regret his affair? Explain using textual evidence.

(see the answer keys)

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