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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. Why was the man in #79 afraid of his wife?

2. What is the job of the man in #20?

3. What is the name of Brenda's lover's hometown?

4. What is Hazel's marital status?

5. How does the narrator know Flora Grieves?

Short Essay Questions

1. In what way does Almeda realize that she has been approaching life all wrong, and how does she see violence symbolized in her life?

2. What is the town's attitude about the poor people in town?

3. How did the generation gap separate the narrator and her mother and what conclusion does she come to regarding how well she knew her own mother?

4. What is the content of a poem told by Miss Dobie that seems to be directed at Judy?

5. What awakens Almeda in the night and what does she do about the disruption?

6. How does the story of Janette serve as a metaphor for the struggles Judy and Antoinette experience regarding Dudley?

7. Who is Flora Grieves, and how did the narrator's mother know her?

8. What does the fight between Brenda and Neil signify?

9. Why would Murray have secretly wanted Barbara to have had an affair?

10. Who was Victor and how did he come into Murray and Barbara's life?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What is the significance of the book's title? What are some other possible titles for the book. List at least five and cite your reasons for each.

Essay Topic 2

Describe the role of the family in Munro's stories. What does it mean for some of the characters? How does the family evolve in its support of each other? How are some of the families fractured? Give examples.

Essay Topic 3

Explain Alice Munro's writing style. How does she deliver information? How does she develop characters? What is the general tone of her stories? What is the most appealing aspect of Munro's writing for you? Explain.

(see the answer keys)

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