View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. On what day of the week did Rex take his own life in "Stories"?

2. Who is Caroleen's twin sister in "Parallel Lines"?

3. What is Nicholas Walker's profession in "Human Intelligence"?

4. On what date does the light come on at Nicholas Walker's station in "Human Intelligence"?

5. For how many years has Nicholas Walker chronicled life on Earth in "Human Intelligence"?

Short Essay Questions

1. What bizarre events take place in the beginning of "Parallel Lines"?

2. Who does Quirinus first murder in "The Devil On The Staircase"? Why?

3. How did Arlette "steal" Yvonne's first husband in "Unwell"?

4. What led to Maggie losing her job in "The Maiden Flight of McCauley's Bellerophon"?

5. How do Dr. Kobel and Annabelle first meet in "The Therapist"?

6. How does the cycle of fictions begin in "A Life in Fictions"?

7. What profession did Quirinus' father have in "The Devil On The Staircase"? How is the setting described?

8. What does Dr. Kobel do when Annabelle answers her door in "The Therapist"?

9. How are Rex Fisch and his peers described in "Stories"?

10. What happens when the attache leaves the war in "The Cult Of The Nose"?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Identify and analyze the exposition, rising action, climax and denouement of "The Therapist." How is irony defined and how does it apply to the story's ending?

Essay Topic 2

Compare authors Jeffrey Ford and Chuck Palahniuk and the characters and settings of "Polka Dots and Moonbeams" and "Loser." How do these stories differ in style?

Essay Topic 3

Compare the vampire imagery in "Blood" and "Juvenal Nyx." How do the tones of each of these stories relate? What themes appear in the stories?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 860 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample