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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 the name of the narrator’s aunt in “Detroit Skyline, 1949” that she and her mother went to visit in Detroit when she was young?

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

3. What is Mary Lou’s last name in “The Rookers”?

4. What is the name of the uncle that the narrator and her mother visit in “Detroit Skyline, 1949”?

5. What is the name of Sandra’s estranged husband in “Offerings”?

Short Essay Questions

1. How is the character of Uncle Boone described in “Detroit Skyline, 1949”?

2. What memento does Cleo find at the end of “Old Things”? What does this make her think of?

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

4. What news does Cleo Watkins relate on the phone to her friend in the beginning of “Old Things”?

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

6. How is the character of Jim Walsh described in “Drawing Names”?

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

8. How are the characters of Norma Jean and Leroy described in “Shiloh”?

9. How is Sandra’s character described in the beginning of “Offerings”?

10. How are the central characters in “The Rookers” similar to the central characters in “Shiloh”?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the themes of identity, transition, and communication in “Offerings.” How does the author depict the communication between Sandra, her mother, and her grandmother in the story? What do each of these characters represent symbolically related to the theme of transition?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the theme of communication in “The Rookers” and Mack’s phone calls to the weather service in the story. What do these calls indicate in regards to Mack’s ability to communicate with his family?

Essay Topic 3

Describe the setting of “Still Life with Watermelon.” Where does Louise live with Peggy? Where has Louise’s husband gone? With whom did he leave? What do these settings represent symbolically in the story?

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