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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. Middle sister says that "those rare, baffling, radiant type of people" (88) referred to as shiny throughout the text had first been brought to her attention by a viewing of which Hitchcock film?

2. What sound does middle sister accuse third brother-in-law of ignoring?

3. What is the only event that ever causes maybe-boyfriend to become angry and combative?

4. What color van does the milkman drive when he is not driving one of his sports cars?

5. Which character has been making lewd remarks to middle sister since the day he met her?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the ten-minute-area?

2. Which elements of middle sister's second interaction with the milkman make her feel relatively safe?

3. Which answers are said to be "acceptable" (72) when one is asked the color of the sky in middle sister's society?

4. What does maybe-boyfriend suspect about middle sister's reasons for never meeting him in her own neighborhood?

5. What action does middle sister perform "without a shake" for "the first time in ages" (165) when the real milkman drops her off at home and why?

6. What horrific and significant event had occurred when middle sister was nine years old?

7. Which member of middle sister's family does she despise and why?

8. What is the symbolism of the British tabloids and newspapers?

9. What contrast does middle sister point out between da's level of openness in life and his level of openness in death?

10. Who is the milkman?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Analyze Burns from an Existential perspective. What elements of life does it suggest hold the most meaning and why?

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay that discusses the symbolism of the cover art chosen for Milkman.

Essay Topic 3

Discuss Burns's decision to include humor within the fictional narrative of Milkman. What purpose did Burns have in mind when including these inclusions of humor and how does the element of humor support the overarching themes and messages of the text?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,378 words (approx. 5 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample