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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 the stone thrower's wife most enjoy about her day?

2. How old is Hanna?

3. What went wrong in Hanna's father's life?

4. Who is Hanna's father?

5. In what way is Hanna deceiving her husband?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is appealing to Rebekah about her affair with Father Michael?

2. What unique ability do Hanna and Anna share?

3. What is the narrator's husband, David, concerned about in relation to the narrator's health in the story "Bone Density"?

4. Why does the narrator in "Open Marriage" seem confident her husband will not follow through on his aspirations to have affairs with other women?

5. Why does Natasha seem to feel responsible for her child's fatal accident in "Break All the Way Down"?

6. How did Father Michael first meet Rebekah?

7. Why is Natasha in "Break All the Way Down" repelled by dogs?

8. Why does Hanna drive to the college town nearby and invite sexual encounters with college-aged boys in secret?

9. How does Hanna react when she sees her mother for the first time in 16 years?

10. What does the stone thrower's wife enjoy most about her days?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In the story "La Negra Blanca," what does the character Alvarez symbolize? How does Alvarez's status as an undocumented immigrant affect Sarah's decision not to go to the police after William Livingston rapes her? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay exploring how Gay uses the idea of bone density in the story "Bone Density" both literally and figuratively to highlight the divisions and discord between the narrator and her husband, citing specific references to the text to support your answer.

Essay Topic 3

In the story "Difficult Women," Gay outlines the characteristics of four categories of women - loose women, frigid women, crazy women, and mothers. Write an essay exploring why you think Gay included mothers as her fourth category of so-called "difficult" women, citing specific references to the text to explain your answer. If you choose, you may cite examples from other stories in the collection exploring Gay's treatment of mothers and issues surrounding motherhood to support your answer.

(see the answer keys)

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