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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. Smith says that when it comes to certain crimes, we only wonder later if it has something to do with a feeling of hopeless what on the part of the criminal?

2. At the end of “A Hovering Young Man,” Smith insists that style is all that young people have and says that this style has been what?

3. Where does the young man work in “A Hovering Young Man”?

4. When someone is holding a Free Hugs sign, Smith says the hugs are not free. What is one of the services Smith says the sign holder might be selling?

5. What is the name of the woman Smith mentions at the start of “A Woman with a Little Dog”?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. What does Smith thank Carol for in “Intimations: Debts and Lessons”?

4. What are the two beauty treatments Smith will get and why?

5. What does Smith say in regards to how certain crimes are categorized?

6. How does Smith show that when she went to the ATM in the first story in “Screengrabs” it was early on in the pandemic?

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

8. How does Smith describe the nail salon and its clientele where she gets her massages in “A Man with Strong Hands”?

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

10. How does Smith describe Barbara physically?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay analyzing Cy’s character in “A Hovering Young Man.” What does he represent and how does the pandemic affect Cy? What is Smith’s tone in regards to the effect the pandemic has on people like Cy?

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay about the narrative tone and writing style in “Peonies.” Use examples from the text as evidence for your argument.

Essay Topic 3

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?

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