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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. Where does the narrator say the "second man" from Story 8 is from?

2. When Bill looks back at his life, he says he sees _______.

3. What drug does the narrator of Story 6 say is a very famous guru of the love generation?

4. What is Georgie referring to when he says, "We killed the mother and saved the children"?

5. Where does Georgie tell the narrator he wants to go in Story 6?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who is the narrator searching for in Seattle in Story 9? What does he recall about this person?

2. What is Hardee's emergency seen in Story 6?

3. What role does Terrence play in Story 6? How do the other characters in the story handle Terrence's situation?

4. Explain how the relationship between the Story 8 narrator and military wife at the bar reinforces the theme of the tension between desperation and compassion.

5. Discuss the significance of the two men at the hospital the narrator sees in Story 8.

6. Discuss the relationship between John Smith and Michelle.

7. Briefly discuss the three train rides the narrator recalls in Story 7.

8. Briefly describe the "second man" in Story 8.

9. Discuss the irony behind Bill seeing the victims of a car crash as "just meat."

10. What is the relevance of picketers standing outside the abortion clinic in Story 7?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay that explains the symbolic value of the broken brakes on the narrator's car, as referred to in Story 2: "Two Men" and Story 4: "Dundun." What actions, circumstances, and attitudes not only in those two stories but in the collection as a whole are represented?

Essay Topic 2

Analyze the narrator's relationships with the different women in the book. How is each relationship similar and how are they different?

Essay Topic 3

Analyze and discuss the significance of the three vehicles in Story 1: "Car Crash While Hitchhiking."

(see the answer keys)

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