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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. In "Transit Bed", who is Lilin?

2. In "Sleeping Like Dogs", where does the story take place?

3. In "The Adventure of a Poet", who does Delia talk to?

4. In "Dollars and the Demimondaine", who are La Bolognese and Mad Maria?

5. In "Sleeping Like Dogs", how does Belmoretto rent out the object he himself has rented?

Short Essay Questions

1. Write a synopsis of "The Adventure of a Soldier".

2. Describe the characters of Delia and Usnelli in "The Adventure of a Poet".

3. In "Transit Bed", who sleeps in the bed and why?

4. In "The Adventure of a Clerk", why doesn't the clerk talk to anyone about what he is thinking and feeling?

5. In "The Adventure of a Bather", what does the bather lose and what does she do?

6. In "The Adventure of a Photographer", who is Bice?

7. In "The Adventure of a Nearsighted Man", what is the man's problem and how does he fix it?

8. In "The Adventure of a Reader", what does Amedeo like to do?

9. In "The Adventure of a Nearsighted Man", what has the man been avoiding and why?

10. How does "Dollars and the Demimondaine" end?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Explore and discuss Calvino's writing style as exhibited in "Difficult Loves", perhaps mentioning

A) Narration

B) Use of details

C) Characters

D) Time period and

E) Pace

and making sure to cite examples from the text.

Essay Topic 2

Explore and discuss the theme of waste in

1) "Man in the Wasteland" and

2) "Lazy Sons"

making sure to cite examples from the text.

Essay Topic 3

Explore and discuss how the endings of

1) "The House of the Beehives"

2) "Big Fish, Little Fish" and

3) "A Ship Loaded with Crabs"

affect and define each of the stories.

(see the answer keys)

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