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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. Whom does the narrator meet at a motel, and offer to give a ride to?

2. In his note, why did the killer say that he murdered the German Old One?

3. What does the woman from the bar say happened to a young man in New Orleans?

4. What is in the eighth room of the circus?

5. What does Miss Finch do?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe how the detective solves the mystery in 'A Study in Emerald.'

2. Why does the poet cast aside all his possessions and his old life in the poem 'Going Wodwo'?

3. Describe the character of Miss Finch.

4. Describe the steps that lead up to the narrator taking the professor's identity.

5. In 'The Faery Reel,' what kind of place is fairyland?

6. In your opinion, what was Miss Finch's wish? Was it granted by the cabinet?

7. Is the playhouse evil or magical, or was it just the narrator's imagination?

8. In the poem 'The Hidden Chamber,' is there anything that is actually hidden?

9. What do the characters in 'Strange Little Girls' have in common?

10. In what ways could 'Good Boys Deserve Favors' be considered a coming of age story?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The author often uses storytelling with first person narrators to tell his stories and poems. In which stories and poems does he do this, and why? What effect does this create? How does it complement the story that is being told?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the author's use of metaphor and symbolism in two stories or poems of your choice from the collection.

Essay Topic 3

What kinds of fragile things can be found in the stories and poems in this collection? What do they symbolize or represent? Why are they fragile, and how has the author communicated this sense of fragility?

(see the answer keys)

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