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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 reminds the bears of spotlights?

2. In "Feeding the Hungry," a man gets angry with which group?

3. One day the man is _____ while at work.

4. How many dancing bears are on a tour?

5. "A Public Denial" is about a man wanting to clear up an ugly rumor about his ______.

Short Essay Questions

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

2. How do Karen and Konrad meet in "Roseville?" What event does the meeting prompt?

3. 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?

4. How does the therapist behave in an unprofessional manner?

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

6. "The Father" discusses the birth of a new baby and the family resemblance. What opinions are voiced?

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

8. Why does the girl think the U.S. is being attacked by Russian missiles?

9. What is the accident that injures Jimmy? What happens after the accident?

10. Why does the girlfriend refuse to return her would-be husband's phone calls?

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

here are two poems that deal with trains: "Love Poems" and "The Burlington Northern, Southbound." Discuss the use of trains as imagery and how the inspire each author. Also discuss trains as a metaphor and how they are or are not appropriate to the stories. Research and find other poems using trains, e.g., Alan Ginsberg's "Sunflower Sutra," to compare and contrast. Which is the best use of a train as an inspiration and/or image?

Essay Topic 3

A 70-year-old woman copes with living alone in "Widow." Examine the woman's grief and remorse due to the loss of her husband. Also examine the woman's new-found sense of freedom and how she copes with the emptiness of her house and lack of rules.

(see the answer keys)

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