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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. What country is the author of Di Grasso from?

2. Where is the family in Family Album from?

3. Orion is killed by what in the story with his name?

4. The author of Family Album hails from where?

5. The author of The Book hails from where?

Short Essay Questions

1. What do Tancredi's two heads do once he grows up in Tancredi?

2. Who is the central character in There's a Man in the Habit of Hitting Me on the Head? What happens to him?

3. Why does the central female character in Facing the Light send her servant away? What realization does she face?

4. What does the protagonist in A Lover's Ear keep with her at all times? What takes place in the climax of the narrative?

5. What activity is the father of Las Papas doing in the narrative? What does he teach his son?

6. How does the central theme and structure of Looking for the Rain God relate to other stories in the collection?

7. What is the setting of Di Grasso? From whose perspective is the story told?

8. Who is the shoe breaker in The Shoe Breaker? What happens in this story?

9. How do Di Grasso and The Street-Sweeping Show relate thematically?

10. Describe the structure and imagery in the stories Snow and The Explosion in the Parlor. How do these narratives relate thematically to the whole of the collection?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe the symbolism, characters and settings of The Book, Facing the Light and Lost Keys. How is the theme of aging represented in each of these works?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the themes and perspectives presented in Girl and The Other Wife. What elements of feminism can be seen in the themes of these works? How is this reflected in other writings by the authors?

Essay Topic 3

Describe the work and careers of Dino Buzzati and Stuart Dybek. How is each author's style reflected in the characters, settings, subjects and themes in The Falling Girl and Death of the Right Fielder?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 950 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample