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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 often does Corinne say she would like to see her family all together in the same room?

2. Where are Naomi and Margaret adopting their first child?

3. What joke does Otto make about seeing a baby when William asks if he wants to see the baby at the start of the story?

4. What flower did Otto learn to like after William made him "look again" (54)?

5. What did William do for work when they first moved into the brownstone together?

Short Essay Questions

1. What do Corinne and Otto say when discussing their family Thanksgivings when they were young?

2. What did William do while Otto worked when they first moved into the brownstone?

3. How did Otto's mother's death change him and his relationship with his family?

4. How long ago did Otto introduce his family to William? What was the occasion? What changed for Otto after that night?

5. How was Otto's family's reaction to William different from the way they reacted to Diandra?

6. What would Corinne or Martin often say when they called Otto to invite him to a family event?

7. What does Corinne ask of Otto after she invites him to Thanksgiving? Why does she think he will be more effective than she or Martin?

8. What is Otto anxious about at the start of the story, which he discusses with William?

9. Why did Otto know how to answer Corinne's question about where he and William met?

10. Who are Naomi and Margaret? Where are they at the start of the story and why?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay about the author of "Some Other, Better Otto." Who is she? What else has she written? How is "Some Other, Better Otto" similar or different from her previous works?

Essay Topic 2

Who is Portia? What theme or themes does her character represent? What does her character show the reader about Otto? How is this character important to the story?

Essay Topic 3

Write a detailed analysis of tone in Eisenberg's "Some Other, Better Otto." Define tone and include whether the tone changes or remains the same. If it changes, include details on when, why and whether this change is effective.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 728 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample