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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 "Cloudland," what does the narrator see a girl wearing a turtleneck shirt doing on her lawn?

2. What type of seafood do the narrator and her friends order, in "The Second Seating"?

3. In the prison town in "Cloudland," driving how many miles over the speed limit will give you a ticket?

4. In "The Quiet Car," how far from the beach is the house that the narrator rents?

5. What does the narrator of "Moonbow" see when she goes outside?

Short Essay Questions

1. What requests did Bob make before he died?

2. In "Equivalent," why does the narrator ask the seller of her house to help with difficult chores when he comes by?

3. Where was the most beautiful yard the narrator ever had, and what does she say it was like in this part of "Cloudland"?

4. How does the narrator get Lois's dog back when he jumps the fence and disappears in "Cloudland"?

5. In "Cloudland," what does the narrator consider doing with kumquats and why will she probably not do it?

6. What does the narrator see in her backyard in "Moonbow," and what does she think it is?

7. In "The Correct Grip," who calls the narrator after an attack and what is their conversation like?

8. In "Moonbow," what does the narrator see and why is it unusual?

9. How does the narrator describe the town where she lives in "Cloudland"?

10. In "Cloudland," what does the narrator go to the college to get?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The house in “Cloudland” is decaying and needs a lot of repairs. In what way is the house an analogy for the narrator’s state of mind?

Essay Topic 2

In “The Chicane,” Lauryn is a troubled woman who commits suicide. What do the relationships that Lauryn has reveal about her? Why is she a mystery to the people who are the closest to her? What does her suicide reveal about her and the type of person that she was?

Essay Topic 3

Emotional distance can interfere with a relationship. In what way are relationships in “The Chicane” superficial? How are the characters emotionally distant from one another? How does emotional distance interfere with the relationship characters have with one another?

(see the answer keys)

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