View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Why is the narrator/model unable to find modeling work in the country?

2. According to "The Queen," to what event does Bijou invite the painter?

3. In what line of work did Mary find herself in at times during her younger days in "Mandra?"

4. How does Laura feel when Jan appears to be slightly aroused by his first drawing on the ceiling?

5. For what reason does Mandra initially decide against seducing Mary?

Short Essay Questions

1. In what ways is Mary described as being intensely sexual, yet frigid?

2. For what reasons is the narrator and the mysterious man at the end of "A Model" drawn together, eventually becoming lovers?

3. How does Jan seduce Laura at the end of this story?

4. Why does the painter in "The Queen" claim to like women such as Bijou?

5. Describe the relationship the narrator from "A Model" forms with Reynolds while they are in the countryside.

6. How does the painter view Bijou?

7. In "The Chanchiquito", what happens to the old lady in Laura's uncle's story?

8. How does the narrator compare her attractiveness to Miriam's appeal?

9. How does Hilda change throughout the course of this story?

10. How is Hilda forced to deal with her relationship to the American writer?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

One of the major themes of "Little Birds" is about submission and control. Analyze and discuss this in regards to the gender dynamics of these stories, the age of the characters (particularly the stories dealing with young women and older men), and how it relate to the power struggle found in many of the couples in this book. Also, discuss the outcomes of these struggles and how the relationship suffers or thrives. Be sure to develop a clear thesis statement and cite specific examples from the text to support your answers.

Essay Topic 2

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 3

How is sexual repression depicted in this book? How does a sexually repressed childhood (with conflicting messages) affect Dorothy and Edna of "Two Sisters?" Why is Lina repressed, despite her reciprocated attraction to her female friend? What about Maria from "the Maja?" How does this affect her marriage to Novalis and how does it affect his art? What do all of the repressed characters have in common? What changes their outlook on sex by the end of the stories and how does it fundamentally seem to change them?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,355 words (approx. 5 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample