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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 word from “Still Life with Watermelon” refers to a horn containing food, drink, etc. in endless supply?

2. Who does Carolyn’s mother say brought the chocolate-covered creams in “Drawing Names”?

3. What kind of instrument does the narrator say Leroy gave Norma Jean for Christmas in “Shiloh”?

4. Sandra’s mother never told Sandra’s paternal grandmother about having what surgery in “Offerings”?

5. What kind of store does the narrator of “Offerings” say Joe Stamper owned and ran?

Short Essay Questions

1. How is the character of Peggy described in “Drawing Names”?

2. How does Mary Lou Skaggs help out her husband with his job in “The Rookers”? What is Mack’s job?

3. Why did the family agree to draw names for Christmas presents in “Drawing Names”?

4. What constitutes the basic plot line of “Shiloh”? What is the story essentially about?

5. How are Louise’s watermelon paintings described in the beginning of “Still Life with Watermelon”?

6. What gift did Mack make for Mary Lou for their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary? How is this object described?

7. How is the journey to Detroit described in “Detroit Skyline, 1949”? How do Peggy Jo and her mother get there?

8. What memories of her grandmother’s farm does Sandra recollect in “Offerings”?

9. How long has Carolyn been divorced in “Drawing Names”? How has this impacted her family Christmas visits?

10. What are Cleo’s thoughts on Shirley in “Old Things”?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe the setting of “Shiloh.” Where in Kentucky do Norma Jean and Leroy live? Why do they decide to go to Shiloh? How is this setting described? How does the setting of the story relate to the narrative?

Essay Topic 2

Examine the plot structure of “The Rookers.” Where in the story are the exposition, rising action, climax, and denouement located? How does the structure of the story compare with “Shiloh”? How does the plot connect to the other stories as a whole?

Essay Topic 3

Examine the narrative style of “Detroit Skyline, 1949.” Why do you think the author chose to relate this story from a first person perspective? How does the tone of the story differ from that of “Shiloh” and “The Rookers”? How does the language style of the story compare?

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