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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. When Georgeann began dating Shelby in high school, she was impressed that he had spent a month studying whose life in “The Retreat”?

2. How old is Robert in “Lying Doggo”?

3. How old is Sabrina in “A New-Wave Format”?

4. How old is Joe when he comes to dinner at Waldeen’s in “Graveyard Day”?

5. What is written on the bakery cake Linda admires in the beginning of “Third Monday”?

Short Essay Questions

1. What different depictions of “family” are presented in “Graveyard Day”?

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

3. Why does Nancy return to her childhood home in “Nancy Culpepper”?

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

5. How is the interstate highway compared with the ocean in “The Ocean”?

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

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

8. What does Georgeann’s mother warn her of when Georgeann marries Shelby Pickett in “The Retreat”?

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

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 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

Examine the setting of “The Rookers.” What imagery and symbolism does the author imbue in the setting of the story? In what ways is Mary Lou’s card table symbolic? What does it represent to Mary Lou?

Essay Topic 3

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?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 781 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample