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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. What does the housekeeper give the narrator for his birthday?

2. After they ran out of things to talk about, how would the narrator spend his evenings with his fiancé?

3. What do the secretaries at the newspaper give to the narrator for his birthday?

4. What subjects did the narrator teach?

5. How many children did the narrator's mother hope he would have?

Short Essay Questions

1. What kind of gifts does the narrator get from the newspaper staff for his birthday?

2. What happens when the narrator goes to turn in his resignation at the newspaper?

3. How does the narrator describe the editor of the newspaper?

4. What is the narrator's experience like when he goes to the animal shelter to pick up his cat?

5. How would the narrator court his fiancé?

6. What is the narrator's relationship like with his housekeeper?

7. Why won't the editor let the narrator resign from writing his column?

8. What was the contrast between the narrator's sex life and his regular life?

9. What request did the narrator's mother make on her deathbed?

10. What evidence does the narrator give of how he is aging?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the themes of love and redemption in the novel. Define theme and provide examples from the novel to support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the character of the girl and the paradox of her age and innocence. Support your discussion with references to the text.

Essay Topic 3

What is the gift that the girl gives to the narrator throughout the novel? Is the inheritance he will leave her a greater gift than the one she has given him? Why or why not?

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