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. What does the British man in "Landscape with Figures" do against protest from the others?

2. Why is Nick discharged from the army?

3. What does the narrator ask the matador to do?

4. What does one unique lion eat in "The Good Lion"?

5. What does the farmer have the bull do when he gets older?

Short Essay Questions

1. What makes Stevie's father disappointed in him?

2. What does David regret doing in "An African Story"?

3. Why does the man in "Get a Seeing-Eyed Dog" ask his wife to leave him?

4. How does the narrator of "A Natural History of the Dead" wish to present his information about death?

5. How does Mr. Wheeler keep contact with his son, and how do Stevie's doctor's feel about his progress in the mental institution?

6. What does the matador do when he receives notices about his mother's grave fee?

7. What is the woman writing to the medical column about in "One Reader Writes"?

8. What happens to the three men who Harry refuses to take to the U.S. one day?

9. What does the job that the narrator holds entail in "Black Ass at the Cross Roads"?

10. What secret does Helena tell Robert after she drinks absinthe?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The pursuit of happiness was a common theme found in these stories. What stories embody this theme, and how does that pursuit affect the characters involved?

Essay Topic 2

Protection is a strong theme in these stories. Where does this theme appear, and which characters are most affected by the presence of this theme?

Essay Topic 3

Failure is a strong theme in these stories. Which of the plot lines best displays this theme, and which characters are most affected by it?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 684 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample