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

2. What word is used to describe the way the narrator's lover responded to his answer to the question she asked him in bed?

3. Why does the narrator decide against kissing his lover's eyelids as he watches her sleep?

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

5. What does the narrator note about his lover as he looks at her in bed when he first wakes?

Short Essay Questions

1. 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?

2. 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?

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

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

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

6. 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?

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

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

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

Write an essay examining the green shirt as a symbol in "Break it Down." In what scenes does the shirt appear? What is the context? How does the shirt develop the narrative?

Essay Topic 3

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?

(see the answer keys)

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