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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. How does Kathy first try to kill herself?

2. Who does Lester call with the two phone calls he is permitted to make?

3. What does Esmail say to defend his father when Lester is trying to decide if the Behranis have hurt Kathy?

4. Why are they moving Kathy to another hospital?

5. Why is Nadereh angry with Behrani after he forces Kathy to leave?

Short Essay Questions

1. Kathy doesn't shower because she doesn't want to clean up, then put on again the clothes she has stolen. How is this a metaphor for her situation now?

2. Why does young Deputy Gleason's expression of gratitude when he encounters Lester on the street make Lester feel worse?

3. Nadereh berates Behrani while he repairs her mother's table, but he lets her insults "pass over like training jets with no ammunition." Why doesn't he respond to her tirade, and what does she finally say that causes him to enter the argument?

4. Why does Kathy go sit in the car to wait for Lester to return? Why doesn't she stay inside the house?

5. What is Connie Walsh's planned defense for Kathy?

6. Why does Lester feel that his anger, which is leaving him in the Behrani house, is something precious that he needs?

7. Although Lester believes Behrani's story, he becomes angry again when Behrani describes Kathy as "drunk." Behrani is angry at Lester when he sees him studying his photo with the shah. How are these two moments similar?

8. How does Kathy feel as she goes back into the house to wait for Lester?

9. Kathy says that she only has one hope now while she's waiting for Lester to return. What does she hope?

10. Why doesn't Behrani attempt to negotiate with Lester when he breaks in and holds them at gunpoint?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Kathy wears Nick's sunglasses and clothing stolen from her employer, drives a car her brother gave her, and uses Lester's gun. She allows other people to buy things for her and to take on her problems. What does this tell you about her attitude toward possessions? What do these things tell you about her attitudes toward other people? Do you think she sees them as nothing more than resources - Nick as a sperm donor, Lester as a protector, Frank as a rescuer? Does she care for anyone else? Why do you think this is important to the story?

Essay Topic 2

Do you agree with Nick that he and Kathy should not be parents? Why or why not? Use quotations and facts from the story to support your thesis.

Essay Topic 3

At the end of the story, three of the main characters each say that they got what they deserved. Do you agree with them? Are the final results similar to what you predicted? In this essay, compare your early predictions for the outcome of this conflict with the actual resolution. If your predictions were different, do you like your ideas better than the actual results? Why or why not?

(see the answer keys)

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