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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. Who is the author of The Boy?

2. What is the subject of the lecture the older Borges discusses in August 25, 1983?

3. Who is the author of Love, Your Only Mother?

4. What kind of meat does the old woman order in Weather in San Francisco?

5. The author of One of These Days hails from where?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the central plot in The Elephant? Why does the protagonist choose to build an inflatable elephant?

2. What happens to the narrator's friend in At the River? How does he discover this?

3. Who is the central character in House Opposite? What decision does he make in the narrative?

4. What event has taken place in the beginning of Death of the Right Fielder? What actions do the characters take?

5. Who is the central character in La Volpaia? Who joins him on his journey?

6. What is the objective of the protagonist in The Laugher? When is he the happiest?

7. How is the story On Hope different thematically and structurally from other narratives of the collection?

8. What is the older Borges doing in August 25, 1983? What is the reaction of the younger Borges?

9. How does the dentist get revenge in One of These Days? For what does he enact vengeance?

10. Who is the central character in On Hope? What does his monkey bring to him?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the stories The Blue Jar and Gregory. How do each of the authors use imagery in a different way? How does each story encapsulate time?

Essay Topic 2

Compare the settings and characters of The Grass-Eaters and Preparations. Where and when in Calcutta does The Grass-Eaters take place? How does the author effectively present the squalor of India?

Essay Topic 3

Compare the works Welcoming the Board of Directors and The Boy. How is the narrative voice in the stories different? What differences exist in the stories' tones? How is the teacher in The Boy reflective of Oates feminist perspective?

(see the answer keys)

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