View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. When Alfonso talks to himself, for what does he long?

2. The townspeople want to leave their funerals and help Momma Galya drop off what in the mailboxes of those who have been arrested?

3. In “Soldiers Don’t Like Looking Foolish,” whose names are posted on the wall?

4. What does Anushka achieve in “In Bombardment, Galya”?

5. In “Question,” the speaker asks what a man is and responds how?

Short Essay Questions

1. In “I, This Body,” how does Alfonso explain how he manages to make it through his wife’s funeral?

2. What details are given about Anushka at her mother’s funeral?

3. How does Alfonso try to make life fun for his daughter?

4. When and how is Momma Galya compared to the wind?

5. How do the townspeople behave in “The Townspeople Watch Them Take Alfonso”?

6. In “Galya’s Toast,” what does Galya toast?

7. How is the soldier treated prior to being killed?

8. What are two things the speaker says in “Such Is the Story Made of Stubbornness and a Little Air”?

9. In “In Bombardment, Galya,” what does Galya manage to survive?

10. How is Alfonso treated by the townspeople in “A City Like a Guillotine Shivers on Its Way to the Neck”?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Alfonso is in shock that his wife, the door-slammer, is dead and he, the fool, is alive. Are you, the reader, as shocked as he is? Why or why not? How are others in this poetry collection door-slammers or fools? What does this say about people? What is the message given to the reader?

Essay Topic 2

For a box of oranges, Alfonso kills a soldier. How does he seem to feel about his actions? How does this compare to the reactions of the other townspeople? How do the reactions of the townspeople right after the killing compare to when Alfonso is tortured and killed? What does this reveal about the townspeople?

Essay Topic 3

The first person shot and killed is a young deaf boy. What leads to his death? Why might he have acted this way? Do you see this as brave or foolish? Why or why not? Might he have realized the repercussions of his actions? Why or why not?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 722 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample