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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 9 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What is Seraphina's son's name?

2. Why are Seraphina and her husband able to afford two nannies?

3. What is Seraphina's husband's name?

4. What is Seraphina's daughter's name?

5. What does Seraphina accuse her husband of when he suggests she is angry?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Hadley consider running away with Gemma when she takes her from the library?

2. How does borrowing a baby make Hadley feel about her lot in life?

3. Why do the women who come to Hadley's apartment say they think she is one of them?

4. How does Seraphina feel about her life as a mother?

5. How does Seraphina discover her nannies are gone and how does she react?

6. How does Paul behave around Seraphina?

7. What does one of the woman who comes to Hadley's apartment say to Hadley when she says that borrowing a baby is not a crime?

8. Who comes to Hadley's apartment after she arrives with Gemma and where are they from?

9. Describe Hadley's experience at the library when she looks for a baby to borrow.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write a brief essay analyzing the title "Graceful Burdens." Explore the ways in which this title connects to the plot and themes of the story.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay analyzing narrative voice in Roxane Gay's “Graceful Burdens.” Include thoughts on how the narrative voice of the story is effective in conveying the story’s themes of control, gender, and freedom.

Essay Topic 3

Write an analysis of Seraphina's character in "Graceful Burdens." Who is she? What is her life like and how does she feel about her role? How does her character support the story's themes?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 556 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample