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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. From where are letters and syllables missing in Apocope?

2. How does the narrator describe the man's hat in Speaking Personally?

3. How many words are listed at the start of Word Game?

4. What bus does the narrator get on in Past?

5. Why did the author stop writing variations by 1946?

Short Essay Questions

1. Compare and contrast the two "Subjectivity" variations.

2. Why do you think the variation "Noble" is titled "Noble?"

3. How are readers able to understand the invented words in the variation "Word Composition?"

4. Explain some of the differences between "Official Letter" and "Blurb."

5. In the Preface, what does Queneau say is his purpose in writing Exercises in Style? What did Queneau say the finished product acts as?

6. Explain the variation titled "Notation."

7. How do the events occur in the variation "Retrograde?"

8. What is an Alexandrine sonnet, and what are the rhyme scheme and meter used in "Alexandrines?"

9. How and why does the author use parentheses so frequently in "Distinguo?"

10. Explain the style used in the variation "Prognostication."

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Which of the variations is the most straightforward? Why? Use examples from the variations to support your claims.

Essay Topic 2

How does the variation "Unexpected" fit into the theme of pointlessness in Exercises in Style?

Essay Topic 3

Explain the author's use of dramatic elements in Exercises in Style, and how they impact the reader.

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