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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 does the narrator cite as the other "bad time" (28) he and his lover had?

2. How did the narrator's lover respond when he told her he loved her?

3. What does the narrator say is all that is left of the relationship after the pictures and questions go away?

4. What was the narrator unable to tell his lover before he told her he loved her?

5. Why does the narrator think he could not let himself fall completely in love with his lover?

Short Essay Questions

1. In the final paragraph, what does the narrator question regarding his affair?

2. How does the narrator say he was beginning to feel when he was getting ready to say goodbye?

3. How does the narrator describe what happens when you look at the pain as if "in an open box, in a window somewhere" (29)?

4. What types of things does the narrator say bring back to the memory of his lover just as he thinks he is over the pain?

5. The narrator says sometimes he feels like a prince or a king. What contrasting emotion does he feel?

6. How long after the affair does the narrator think his time thinking of her is reduced to about and hour or two a day?

7. After adding up the time spent thinking of his lover after the affair has ended, how much does the narrator calculate he has spent?

8. The narrator says he may have only been half falling in love. Why?

9. In what way is the pain from the affair worse than the pleasure?

10. What did the narrator's lover give him before he left? Describe it.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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?

Essay Topic 2

What is the significance of the narrator breaking down the financial cost of his recent affair? To what conclusion, if any, do his calculations lead?

Essay Topic 3

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.

(see the answer keys)

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