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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 practice of middle sister's does longest friend say she had consistently warned middle sister to stop performing?

2. Tablets girl poisons middle sister just after which character has departed from the table to use the restroom at the bar?

3. Jason-of-the-Names tells ma on the phone that real milkman is now in which location?

4. What type of weapon does the milkman continually mention when threatening to take maybe-boyfriend's life?

5. What type of establishment is the location referred to by the community as "the usual place" (169)?

Short Essay Questions

1. Give an example of Burns's use of sarcastic humor within Chapter 5 and explain its connection to one of the novel's major themes.

2. What is ironic about the fact that every time the milkman suddenly appears, he does so "in the manner of some ordinary meeting up" (166)?

3. What kind of murders are said to be "unfathomable" (237) within the confines of middle sister's community and why are they described in this way?

4. Discuss a particular allusion Burns uses to allude to another literary work associated with the theme of depression.

5. What major revelation about the community's view of middle sister does longest friend reveal during their meeting?

6. Who is ultimately revealed to have killed tablets girl?

7. What change occurs in middle sister's feelings for maybe-boyfriend after the milkman begins to stalk her?

8. What revelation does ma make about real milkman during one of her breaks from the hospital?

9. What information about longest friend does middle sister finally reveal to the reader at the end of Chapter 4?

10. Why do the renouncers-of-the-state come to middle sister's family's door in Chapter 5?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How does Burns use the first person point of view to tell the story of Milkman and in what way does this choice serve the purposes of the text? Discuss how Burns’s choice of point of view helps to advance the treatment of at least three particular themes within the text.

Essay Topic 2

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?

Essay Topic 3

In what way does Burns utilize irony within the text? Discuss at least three uses of irony within Milkman and explore each instance's connection to larger themes contained within the piece.

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