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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 title of the first short essay in “Screengrabs”?

2. At the end of “A Character in a Wheelchair in the Vestibule,” Myron says that everyone is afraid of a cold when all they need to do is what?

3. How does Smith inform other people about the intriguing sign she saw in the park?

4. What does Smith note about the hate from the man holding the sign in Washington Square Park?

5. In “A Provocation in the Park,” what types of crimes does Smith say she has trouble deciphering the nuances of?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who does Smith see in the ATM vestibule and what is her relationship with him?

2. What does Smith find interesting about the way in which the man with the sign projects his hate?

3. How does Smith describe the concept of British “class contempt” (74) in “Post-script: Contempt as a Virus”?

4. How does Smith describe Cy at the beginning of “A Hovering Young Man”?

5. What does Smith say her feelings have always been about her ability to survive an apocalypse?

6. What does Barbara say to Smith just before she is heading her rental car to leave the city?

7. What example did Smith’s mother use when telling her via video conference that the lockdown has made people crazy?

8. How does Smith know the woman at the bus stop who approaches her must have known her from long ago?

9. What does Smith say she learned from or appreciates about her parents and brother in “Intimations”?

10. What does Myron think of all the people leaving NYC based on the phone call Smith overhears in the ATM?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay exploring what you learn about Smith’s character based on each of the stories in Intimations. What type of person is she? Consider race, class, occupations, interactions with others, and anything else you have gleaned about her from the stories. Use examples from several of the stories to support your analysis.

Essay Topic 2

Analyze the symbolic significance of Barbara in “A Woman with a Little Dog.” What does she represent? What is Smith’s narrative tone in regards to Barbara?

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay expounding on the theme of contempt in “Post-script: Contempt as a Virus.” Include the examples of both British and American forms of contempt Smith describes.

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This section contains 719 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample