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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 do the Cottinghams send out for a Christmas card?

2. Thaddeus Bristol says it's hard to look past Dickens' what?

3. How old is Eileen Cottingham in "Christmas Means Giving"?

4. What is the narrator's family watching after a "gut busting" Thanksgiving dinner in "Christmas Means Giving"?

5. Beth makes a necklace out of __________ in "Christmas Means Giving."

Short Essay Questions

1. Why can't Jim Timothy contact the women in the church who performed the miraculous surgery?

2. What is the purpose of the narrator's Christmas card in "Christmas Means Giving"?

3. What are some of the mini-series that Jim Timothy has produced?

4. Why is Jim Timothy interested in one of the church members?

5. What happens when the Cottingham family move into next door to the narrator in "Christmas Means Giving"?

6. What is the premise of "A Reindeer's Gift"?

7. Who is Jim Timothy?

8. What are Thaddeus Bristol's complaints about the performance of "A Christmas Carol"?

9. How does the narrator describe his feelings on the last Christmas described in "Christmas Means Giving"?

10. How does "Christmas Means Giving" end?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the characters of The Walrus and the Santa who never goes out of character in the story "SantaLand Diaries." How do these characters represent the paradox of the commercial Christmas?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the theme of appearance versus reality as it is illustrated in various stories in the collection.

Essay Topic 3

What is the lasting impression that "Holidays on Ice" makes on the reader? What do you think the author's intent was in writing this story collection?

(see the answer keys)

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