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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 he discover upon a search of the Ladies' room?

2. About whom does the narrator dream that night?

3. Who is the archivist in the library?

4. How was the narrator's innocent advice perceived by his superiors at the magazine?

5. Is the narrator depressed about his current situation?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is worrying the narrator as he begins work on the French article?

2. How does the narrator describe his mother's reaction to Amanda?

3. To whom is the narrator speaking at the beginning of the story?

4. How do the narrator's inner identity and his outer persona conflict?

5. Why does the narrator purchase the knockoff Cartier watch on the street?

6. Are Vicky and the narrator truly fond of Tad?

7. What does the narrator hope for as he turns in an article that he knows is unfinished?

8. Why does Tad Allagash continually make up of stories of Amanda's death?

9. Why is the narrator conflicted when he learns the French piece has already gone to the typesetters?

10. Why is the narrator so upset when he forgets Megan's bagel?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The narrator constantly forgets about Megan--her soda, her bagel, and their lunch date.

1) Why do you think she slips through the cracks of his memory? Does his absentmindedness seem to bother her?

2) Examine the narrator's breakdown after he forgets her bagel. What excuse does he give her? What internal struggle is he having?

3) What are Megan's motives for inviting him over for dinner? Why is she so kind to him?

Essay Topic 2

The narrator and Amanda were obviously mismatched.

1) How is the narrator's love of fiction detrimental to his relationship with Amanda?

2) What fantasies do the narrator and Amanda make of each other?

3) Though Amanda is portrayed as the shallower character, she is the one to end their fantasy. What does this imply about Amanda?

Essay Topic 3

After Amanda's departure, all the narrator has left of her is a mannequin at Saks Fifth Avenue.

1) Describe the beginnings of their relationship. How did they arrive at such a dramatic point?

2) The narrator and Amanda are very different people. Could this have attributed to their downfall as a couple?

3) How is Amanda's mannequin representative of Amanda herself?

(see the answer keys)

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