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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. Why does Reynolds refuse to sleep with the narrator/model in "A Model?"

2. Who does Paul wish to take the women to see in "Mandra?"

3. Upon her return to New York, where does the narrator/model find some modeling work?

4. What does Bijou promise the painter before the Art Ball?

5. What does Miriam try on for Mandra?

Short Essay Questions

1. What leads up to Albert finally making love to his wife?

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

3. How does Fay discover Albert is being unfaithful?

4. Describe some of the narrator's first modeling jobs, including her experienced with the artists in "A Model."

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. What reasons does Fay's husband give for not making love to her on their wedding night in the story "Saffron"?

8. How does the painter know Bijou is faithless at the Art Ball?

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the use of innocence in "Little Birds" in the following format:

Part 1) The schoolgirls (and unsuspecting ladies) in "Little Birds."

Part 2) Maria in "the Maja."

Part 3) The narrator in "a Model."

Part 4) Jeannette in "Runaway."

Develop a clear thesis statement and apply it to these characters. Cite specific examples from the text to support your answers.

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the characters of Manuel and Rango in the following format:

Part 1) Compare and contrast the two men.

Part 2) Manuel's fetish for innocence.

Part 3) Rango's desire for submission.

Part 4) The two men and their relationship to control.

Part 5) The two men having no control in certain areas (Manuel's wife being the breadwinner and Rango being an alcoholic).

Cite specific examples from the text to support your answers.

Essay Topic 3

One of the continuing themes of this book is to rejoice in life, no matter what is happening around you. How is this used in stories such as "the Woman on the Dunes," "Two Sisters," and "Sirocco?" What is the purpose of these characters using sex to express the joy and unhappiness in their lives? How is this seen in regards to characters who have unfulfilled sexual needs (such as Novalis in "The Maja")? How does this relate to the ephemeral nature of a sexual encounter, as seen in "the Woman on the Dunes?" Cite specific examples from the text to support your answers.

(see the answer keys)

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