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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 did Debi see Paulie doing the day before at Wegmans?

2. What is Debi's daughter's name?

3. What word is repeated when Debi thinks of her relationship with her daughter?

4. How does Debi try to justify her daughter leaving without a word?

5. Why does Debi refuse to judge Alma or anyone?

Short Essay Questions

1. What has Debi done in her past which she admits makes her no angel?

2. What does Pammy say to Alma when they first see Debi? How does Alma respond?

3. What happened when Vicky brought a boy name Rob over? In what way did Debi embarrass Vicky? What did Vicky do that Debi found absurd?

4. How does Debi try to cope with the fact that Vicky ran away from her?

5. What was Debi's relationship with Paul, Sr.? How does Debi feel about Paul and his behavior?

6. When did Vicky leave? Where did she go? With whom? What was the last word Debi received from her daughter?

7. Describe the scene at Paul's gravesite a few days after his funeral.

8. Who is Vicky? Describe her relationship with Debi.

9. Why is Debi surprised Alma's children pay any attention to her on Mother's Day? What did Debi see Paulie doing at Wegman's the day before Mother's Day?

10. Why does Debi think she should have been born in the future?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Read George Saunder's New Yorker interview about "Mother's Day." Write an essay about what you learned about the story through reading the interview. How, if at all, does this interview change the way you view the story's characters and themes?

Essay Topic 2

Write a detailed analysis of tone in Saunders's "Mother's Day." Include whether the tone changes or remains the same. If it changes, include details on when, why and whether this change is effective.

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay exploring the theme of motherhood in "Mother's Day." Discuss Debi and Alma as mothers and their present relationship with their children. How do these relationships speak to the themes of the past, regret, and self-delusion?

(see the answer keys)

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