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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. After the marriage, why can Dorothy no longer enjoy sex with Robert?

2. How does the tall woman's husband react when she happily tells him what she is doing at the hotel?

3. Why is Edna able to spend so much time with her new lover, Robert?

4. Why does Lina claim to hate all men?

5. Why is the mysterious woman not afraid of Louis swimming with her?

Short Essay Questions

1. In what ways does Lina try to seduce the narrator?

2. Why does Dorothy become frigid to Robert and how does she attempt to handle it?

3. For what reasons does Edna begin to find her self-confidence again after becoming estranged from Harry?

4. Why does the woman pass out in her story as the Russian dies?

5. What leads up to the schoolgirls running from Manuel at the end of this story?

6. How do Novalis and Maria begin to grow apart?

7. In the story "The Maja," why did Novalis marry Maria and how does this affect their marriage?

8. Why does the Viking woman leave her husband and what results from it?

9. Describe Robert and Dorothy's relationship from the time to they meet until the time they first make love.

10. How is Maria finally able to overcome her aversion to sensuality?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the role of age and youth in these stories in the following format:

Part 1) The young brides.

Part 2) The sexually adventurous teenagers.

Part 3) The conflicts that arise from partners with a distinct age difference.

Part 4) The cultural differences in youth

Part 5) The compromises within the relationships, as well as the fate of the relationship.

Some of the stories that should definitely be discussed (but not exclusively) include "Saffron," "Sirocco," "a Model," and "Runaway." Cite specific examples from the text to support your answers.

Essay Topic 2

Why is this book called "Little Birds?" How does the title relate to the activities in the title story of this book? How does this theme relate to other characters and situations? Why is it significant that a collection of erotic stories should choose to have this connotation? In what ways does this help to subvert the idea that this book is merely pornography? Cite specific examples from the text to support your answers.

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the use of homosexuality in this novel in the following format:

Part 1) Lina and the narrator.

Part 2) The narrator from "A Model."

Part 3) Mandra.

Part 4) Dorothy, John, and Donald.

Part 5) Lesbians and the lack of homosexual men in this book.

Part 6) Sensuality.

Develop a clear thesis and cite specific examples from the text to support your answers.

(see the answer keys)

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