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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 the quote at the beginning of "Cloudland," where are the children?

2. When do people who went to the university come back, in "Cloudland"?

3. In stories that the narrator remembers in "Cloudland," how long has a woman been known to be carrying a calcified fetus?

4. What type of berry does the narrator get from the college campus in "Cloudland"?

5. How old is the man the narrator of "Cloudland" checks up on on Thursday afternoons?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What requests did Bob make before he died?

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

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

5. What is karst and its hazards?

6. How does the narrator describe a painting titled "Water Damage," and how does the narrator like the painting?

7. In "The Second Seating," what do the narrator and friends have to eat and drink?

8. What was the narrator's job in New York, and why does she say that she left her job in this section of "Cloudland"?

9. In "Cloudland," what happens to the man arrested for sexual abuse?

10. In "Cloudland," what is the narrator's job, and what are some of her job duties?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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?

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 “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?

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This section contains 930 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample