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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. In "I Stay with Syd," what do some people go and do while they wait to get back inside the theater?

2. In "I Stay with Syd," what type of tree does the narrator think should be pruned?

3. In "Four Calls in the Last Half Hour," what does the author want to be taught?

4. What direction is a storm blowing in from in "I Stay with Syd"?

5. What is Evelyne's occupation?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why did Lauryn try to commit suicide in Madrid, and why did she survive?

2. In "Greed," why does the narrator pay two teens?

3. In "Four Calls in the Last Half Hour," what does the narrator say about the man and his actions?

4. What do the dogs know about the narrator and other volunteers regarding food?

5. How does the narrator spy on her husband and Mrs. Greed?

6. What is said about Mrs. Greed, her husband, and how she treats her husband?

7. What is Fort Bedd?

8. What does the narrator do when Syd returns in "I Stay with Syd"?

9. What does the narrator say about the affair between Syd and a married man?

10. What does the narrator want to tell her aunt Lauryn, even though she is gone?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The narrator in “Cloudland” had a baby when she was a teenager. How has the birth of the child affected the narrator’s emotional state throughout her life? When does the narrator begin to realize that she has been carrying the trauma and pain from the birth ever since? How does this realization help the narrator let go of the past?

Essay Topic 2

In “I Stay with Syd,” two characters are having an affair. How would you describe the relationship between Syd and the married man? What does their relationship seem to be built upon, and how will that foundation affect their relationship?

Essay Topic 3

In “Cloudland,” the narrator used to teach at a girls’ school. What caused the narrator to lose her teaching job? What does her mistake reveal about the narrator’s ability to use good judgement? Why does the narrator struggle to make good decisions?

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This section contains 912 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample