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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. How old is Holly in “Graveyard Day”?

2. How old is Nancy’s grandmother that’s being put in a nursing home in “Nancy Culpepper”?

3. How many years does the narrator say she was away “pursuing higher learning” in “Residents and Transients”?

4. Nancy and Jack have been married almost how long in “Lying Doggo”?

5. Shelby tells Georgeann in “The Retreat,” “You’ve been looking peaked lately. I believe you’ve got” what?

Short Essay Questions

1. How are Nancy’s husband and son described in “Nancy Culpepper”?

2. How is Grover Cleveland described when Jack picked him out as a puppy in “Lying Doggo”?

3. What pop culture references are seen in the story “Graveyard Day”?

4. How is the U.S.S. Shaw described in “The Ocean”?

5. What is Edwin Creech doing in the opening of “A New-Wave Format”?

6. What does the narrator of “Residents and Transients” reveal in the beginning of the story? Who is the narrator?

7. What can be interpreted of Joe McClain’s character through his actions in “Graveyard Day”?

8. What does Jack say about the people he’s cared about that have died in “Lying Doggo”?

9. How is Shelby Pickett described when Georgeann began dating him in “The Retreat”?

10. What does Gladys tell Ruby about Buddy at the market when he’s not there in “Third Monday”?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss narrative style of the story “Shiloh.” What is the person and tense of the narrative? Why do you think the author chose this narrative style? How does the author’s language style inform the reader about the characters?

Essay Topic 2

Describe and discuss the characters of Peggy Jo, Mama, Aunt Mozelle, and Uncle Boone in “Detroit Skyline, 1949.” What are the actions and objectives of each of these characters? How would you describe their relationships to one another?

Essay Topic 3

Analyze the characters of Cleo Watkins and Rita Jean Wiggins in “Old Things.” How old are these characters? How would you characterize their relationship to one another? How are the characters similar? How are they different?

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