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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. In the second summer, what type of insect is described as hovering around tables?

2. What view does Sissie have of Jerry?

3. Why does Sissie first taste beer?

4. Which of the following people does Sissie see her father talking to as she waits for him?

5. What type of bird do the children see that is stuck?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Sissie compare herself to other girls her own age in Part 3?

2. In what ways does Jesse remind Sissie of her father?

3. In what way does the diction change between the first summer and second summer?

4. After reading about Sissie's first summer experience at the tavern, what predictions can be made about the rest of the story?

5. Why does Sissie feel that she is a burden in Part 3? How does this make her feel?

6. How does Sissie compare herself to the boat she rides in? Why?

7. How does Sissie compare the bar at the end of the book to the same bar years earlier?

8. In "Four Summers", what role are women meant to play? How does Sissie feel about this?

9. How does the reader know that time has passed between Part 2 and Part 3?

10. Describe the narrator's clarity in the first part of the story.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How is self-consciousness a theme in the story? Why does Sissie feel self-conscious? Is she rational in feeling this way? Why or why not? What is the cause of Sissie's discomfort?

Essay Topic 2

How can the reader tell the differences between each narration? How does the reader know that the narrator has matured between sections? How does diction change? How does Sissie's comprehension change?

Essay Topic 3

How does Joyce Carol Oates use dialogue to convey parts of the story? Is dialogue vital to the story? Why or why not?

(see the answer keys)

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