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

2. What was the narrator unsure he would be able to do without his lover?

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

4. 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?

5. How did the narrator respond to the surprising question his lover asked him in bed one day?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

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. 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?

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

7. 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?

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

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

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 commentary on love in "Break it Down." How is love important to the story? How does it affect the narrative? Use textual evidence to explain your analysis.

Essay Topic 2

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

Essay Topic 3

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

(see the answer keys)

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