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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. In "Mrs. Elberhart," who does not have a car?

2. What does the narrator of "Yorrick" try to bring to a potluck?

3. In "Orez," who is Norman?

4. Who used to get Mrs. Elberhart sick all the time?

5. Why does the narrator phone Mrs. Elberhart's neighbors?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who has a gallbladder condition in the story "Charles Lebourne"?

2. Who is Yorrick?

3. Why does Catherine start hanging out at the narrator's house in "Yorrick"?

4. In "Orez," who is Orez?

5. Why does Hester want her husband to hurt her in "Orez"?

6. Why does Mrs. Elberhart end up in the hospital?

7. Why does the narrator of "Yorrick" slash people's tires?

8. How does the narrator of "Mrs. Elberhart" discover Mrs. Elberhart?

9. In "Charles Lebourne," how does the narrator's mother describe Lebourne?

10. What does Stevick tell the narrator of "Orez" about his children?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay exploring the various settings of the stories. Choose one particular setting and describe its significance to the characters and the story as a whole. Why is this setting important to the story? Use examples from the text as support.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay discussing the theme of sabotage. Throughout several stories certain characters seek to sabotage or greatly inconvenience the lives of other people around them. What motivates such characters? Are they successful in their attempts to sabotage the lives of others? (i.e. the narrator in "Yorrick," the narrator in "The Family M," the narrator in "Charles Lebourne").

Essay Topic 3

Many of the stories deal with people's relationships with their neighbors. Write an essay discussing the relationship between neighbors in one of this collection's stories. What is the nature of this relationship? Is it positive or negative?

(see the answer keys)

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