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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. At which point does Smith say a man submits to nature?

2. After the pandemic, Smith says we must modify our new knowledge of privilege to involve what new category?

3. What does Smith say in “Suffering Like Mel Gibson” was the only relief people quarantining together had from one another?

4. What example does Smith use in “Peonies” as a time when submitting might be better than resisting?

5. What former British Prime Minister does Smith reference at the end of “The American Exception”?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Smith describe the space typically occupied by artists?

2. Describe the article Smith references in “Suffering Like Mel Gibson” about a 17-year-old during lockdown.

3. Why does Smith say it was hard for Americans to fathom a plague?

4. Describe the moment Smith realized her own privilege in a Subway shop.

5. What does Smith say the country had begun to learn or discuss in regards to privilege prior to the virus?

6. Describe the meme Smith references in “Suffering Like Mel Gibson.”

7. What does Smith say was missing from the American concept of death in “The American Exception”?

8. What does Smith say about what disaster demands at the start of “The American Exception”?

9. What are some of the various types of loneliness Smith describes people felt at the start of the lockdown in “Suffering Like Mel Gibson”?

10. What does Smith compare the way in which she packs her free time to at the start of “Peonies’?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay analyzing the title of Smith’s essay “A Provocation in the Park.” In what ways does this title impact your reading of the essay? In what ways does this title reflect the theme or mood of the story? Use direct examples from the text.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay exploring theme of suffering in Smith’s essay, “Suffering Like Mel Gibson.”

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay exploring the theme of survival in “A Character in a Wheelchair in the Vestibule.” Analyze the difference between how Smith deals with the pandemic versus the man with the wheelchair.

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