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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 is Leroy’s last name in “Shiloh”?

2. What word does the narrator’s play date pronounce “with two syllables” in “Detroit Skyline, 1949”?

3. Whose granddaughter in “The Rookers” is said to have an ovary infection?

4. What is Cleo’s last name in “Old Things”?

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

Short Essay Questions

1. How is Peggy Wilson described in “Still Life with Watermelon”? What is her relationship to Louise Milsap?

2. What appointment is Dolores worried about in “The Climber”?

3. Why is the tree being removed in “The Climber”?

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

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

6. What happens when Louise goes to meet with Mr. Priddle in “Still Life with Watermelon”?

7. How does the narrator describe the final years of Sandra’s paternal grandfather in “Offerings”?

8. How is Petey’s character described in “The Climber”?

9. How is the character of Aunt Mozelle described in “Detroit Skyline, 1949”?

10. What are the central themes in the stories of Bobbie Ann Mason’s anthology?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

Describe and analyze the setting of “The Ocean.” How does the narrator describe the freeway in the beginning of the story? In what ways does the changing landscape in this story differ from the previous stories in the collection? What symbolism is used in the setting?

Essay Topic 3

Describe and discuss the setting of “Offerings.” What imagery does the author employ in her descriptions of this setting? How does this setting relate to the settings seen in “Shiloh,” “The Rookers,” and “Detroit Skyline, 1949”?

(see the answer keys)

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