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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 is the woman doing on the TV at the gas station on the narrator’s way to Devil’s Throat, in "The Resident"?

2. How does the narrator describe other people who have had the procedure?

3. How many months would it take the narrator of "Real Women Have Bodies" to make enough to by the most expensive dress?

4. What is Petra’s first question to the narrator of "Real Women Have Bodies"?

5. How does Gizzy try to keep the narrator working at Glam?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the significance of the name of the location where C——‘s residency takes place in "The Resident"?

2. What is the narrator’s co-worker Natalie like, as a co-worker in "Real Women Have Bodies"?

3. What project does the author plan to work on at Devil’s Mouth?

4. How does the narrator characterize the Glam store in the beginning of "Real Women Have Bodies"?

5. What is the narrator’s role in Anele’s project called "the Artists"?

6. What is the narrator’s health like, in "The Resident," and how does it affect the story?

7. What does the narrator’s daughter think about the operation she wants to have in "Eight Bites"?

8. What is the thing the narrator of "Eight Bites"has been hearing around her house?

9. How does Petra’s increasing incorporeality affect her relationship with the narrator?

10. What is the narrator’s final act before she goes incorporeal in "Real Women Have Bodies"?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In "The Resident," the narrator says that her talent comes from the ability to ‘manipulate proportions.’ Assess this statement in terms of its applicability to Machado’s book as a whole. Where do you see this quality in the stories? Is it the main source of the strength in Machado’s work? What other talents compete with this quality, to be the most important part of her work?

Essay Topic 2

Is happiness possible, in Machado’s terms? Is it even desirable? If happiness is not the most important thing to feel, what would be more important, in Machado’s world? How does Machado show us ways to explore alternatives to happiness?

Essay Topic 3

What is the meaning of the title of this book, and how is that meaning developed throughout the unfolding of the various stories? Which stories resonate best with the title? Which resonate less? Why?

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