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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 Sal do that upsets Caridad?

2. Where does Carolina's husband work?

3. Who is one of the twins' girlfriend in "The Mark of Cain"?

4. What does William Livingston III do to Sarah at her apartment?

5. In the story "Difficult Women," who does a loose woman never look up to?

Short Essay Questions

1. In "Difficult Women," what does Gay say a loose woman sees in the mirror and why?

2. Why do Savvie and Carolina not have to worry about money or finances?

3. Why does Carolina tell Savvie she decided to marry Darryl?

4. Why is William Livingston briefly appalled when he finds out that Sarah is mixed-race in "La Negra Blanca"?

5. What is the real reason that Carolina insists Savvie accompany her to find Darryl in Reno?

6. Why is Alvarez hesitant to get more involved with Sarah in "La Negra Blanca," even though he adores her?

7. What is the basis of Carolina's and Savvie's strong bond in "I Will Follow You"?

8. When does the narrator begin to think that Cassie, Jacob's girlfriend, may be smarter than she seems?

9. In the story "Difficult Women," what is it about death that makes girls more interesting?

10. Why does Bianca agree to go out with Dean and initially start a relationship with him?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In the story "Florida," Gay uses a variety of different characters' voices and points of view to offer vastly different perspectives on the same community. Write an essay analyzing how Gay's use of different perspectives and characters' voices affects the narrative and the reader's experience of this story.

Essay Topic 2

Why does the narrator in "The Mark of Cain" refrain from confronting either Caleb, her husband, or Jacob, her husband's twin brother, about the fact that they frequently trade places and pretend to be each other for lengthy periods of time? Write an essay explaining your answer, citing specific references to the text.

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay exploring what seems to motivate Anna Lisa to leave her baby with the narrator, a woman she does not appear to know very well, in "Break All the Way Down." Why does the narrator feel compelled to continue to punish herself for what happened to her young son? Cite specific references to the text to support your answers.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 891 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample