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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. About how old is Barbra in “A Woman with a Little Dog”?

2. Who does Smith credit for “delirium, delight, youth, sunshine, love letters, love songs” (92)?

3. Smith always worried that she would not do well in an apocalypse because she lacks what?

4. 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?

5. What does Smith say can be thought of as a virus due to the way it spreads in “Post-Script: Contempt as a Virus”?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

4. Why does Smith say she would likely commit suicide on the first hour of the first day of an apocalypse?

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

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

7. How does Smith show that others in her building are leaving the city as well?

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

9. What does Smith say about the “ideal, rent-controlled city dweller” (49)?

10. Why does Smith rarely get manicures and never get pedicures?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Smith experiences personal changes throughout the collection. In what ways does Smith change and in what ways does she remain the same? How do these changes develop the themes of Intimations?

Essay Topic 2

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 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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