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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 old is Marion?

2. Whose room does Sophie fall asleep in when she goes out towards the end of the story The Nanny?

3. Who is Jack's girlfriend?

4. What phrase does Kayla feel describes the aftermath of the discovery of her affair with the actor?

5. Who is Marion romantically interested in?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Richard's ex-wife Pam tell him when she calls late at night in the story Northeast Regional?

2. What does Peter think about the way Otto and Heddy grew up on the farm and how it affected them long-term?

3. What does the narrator do at Marion's request that results in the narrator being kicked out of Marion's house?

4. Who is Marion interested in sexually in the story Marion, and why is this a problem?

5. What is one way Richard deals with the stress of having to intercede with Rowan's serious problem?

6. How do the migrant farm workers seem to feel about Otto, from what Peter can tell?

7. How does Richard ruin Ana's weekend in the story Northeast Regional?

8. What happens at the restaurant with Rowan, Livia, and Richard that makes everyone really uncomfortable?

9. Why does Bob get so angry at Marion when he takes her and the narrator on his trip to deliver the marijuana?

10. What story does Rafe tell Kayla that she later reads repeated many times in media interviews?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Many of Cline's stories in this collection deal with father-adult children relationships. Write an essay exploring how Cline treats the theme of difficult father-child relationships across different stories.

Essay Topic 2

What kinds of details does Cline provide about Sasha's childhood relationship with her father John in the story What Can You Do With a General? What details and information about this relationship and time period does Cline merely imply? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your answers.

Essay Topic 3

How and when does Peter seem to realize that he and Heddy are probably not that well-suited to each other as romantic partners, or as prospective parents? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

(see the answer keys)

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