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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. Bored, the boy falls asleep looking at pumpkins and wakes up look at a/n:

2. Who is sad about the pumpkin truck accident?

3. What is the name of the theatre that gives out free dishes?

4. When the man wakes his wife, she only says one word. What is the word?

5. The woman goes into the basement to retrieve which item?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why do the man and his young lover have such varying opinions on what they see in "Everything is Green?"

2. Explain the actions of the bears in Chile in "Brilliant Silence." Why do the bears act this way?

3. What causes the car accident in "Pumpkins?"

4. Explain the goal of the stones in the desert.

5. How does the woman intend to trick her boyfriend in "I Get Smart?"

6. In "Vision Out of the Corner of One Eye" tells the story of two people on a train. What happens between the man and woman?

7. Explain why Mr. Mumsford is so angry. What does the man intend to do? Why?

8. Discuss the man's final decision in "Corporal."

9. "A Public Denial" tells a somewhat humorous story about a man trying to clear his deceased grandfather's name. What killed the old man?

10. What is the main issue with Jimmy in the beginning of "Ponderosa?"

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

"Flash Fiction: Very Short Stories by James Thomas" is a collection of stories designed to be so short that they cannot be claimed as short fiction or sudden fiction. Compare and contrast the three types of stories. Also compare them to a short story and novella.

Essay Topic 2

"Bread" discusses the fact that while many of us eat bread, there are many people that are starving and could benefit from the bread we take for granted. Who decides who should eat and who should starve? Should people curb what they eat in order to provide food for people half way around the world? Is there an impact on those people decided by what we eat? How does supply and demand fit into the picture? Explain.

Essay Topic 3

Franky Gorky may be "The Nicest Kid in the Universe," but Franky is none too bright. Write two short stories about a character like Franky, or perhaps yourself, who receives three wishes. One story will reflect wise choices using the three wishes, and the second story will reflect making foolish choices. Would it be hard to decide what to do with the wishes?

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This section contains 1,039 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample