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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. Whose work does the narrator still recall clearly after many years?

2. Who does Lee say is Arthur's worst enemy?

3. What month is it when Lionel disappears in the story, Down at the Dinghy?

4. Why is the narrator of De Daumier-Smith's Blue Period going to art school?

5. What is the narrator's most traumatic move in the story, De Daumier-Smith's Blue Period?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why is the narrator so taken with Sister Irma?

2. What happens to the narrator after he leaves the training course?

3. How does Boo Boo handle Lionel's habit of running away?

4. Why does Arthur think his marriage isn't working?

5. Why is it ironic that the school closes down for not having a business license?

6. Why is Sandra so worried about Lionel when he runs away in Down at the Dinghy?

7. Why does the narrator like the bulletin board outside the church so much in For Esme -- with Love and Squalor?

8. Who does Lee think Joanie goes with after the party?

9. Why does Bobby move the family to Paris in 1929?

10. Why does Esme's long and complicated letter soothe the narrator more than one from his family?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Why is Nine Stories an important collection of short stories? What does it contribute to American literary history?

Essay Topic 2

Lies and deception are used by several characters, including Arthur in Pretty Mouth and Green My Eyes and the narrator in De Daumier-Smith's Blue Period. Why does each character rely on lies and deceit? What do they hope to gain? What do they hope to avoid? What does it tell us about each character? What does each character have in common? What makes them different?

Essay Topic 3

Being a meditating child genius that is unaffected by emotion, Teddy is one of the more unique characters in the collection. Explore and analyze Teddy as a character. How does his age affect the story? How do you feel about his lack of emotion on any topic? What makes Teddy so different from the other characters Salinger creates in the collection?

(see the answer keys)

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