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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 does the woman in Terminal attempt suicide?

2. What is the name of the shoe breaker in The Shoe Breaker?

3. Where are the potatoes from in Las Papas?

4. What is the setting of Looking for the Rain God?

5. Where is the author of A Lover's Ear from?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. How do Artemis and Orion meet in Orion? What is the outcome for the title character?

3. Who are the characters in Emilie Plead Choose One Egg? What takes place in the story?

4. What memory is related in the story Snow?

5. What is implied in the story The Verb To Kill? What do the central characters do in the narrative?

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

7. What do the characters in Looking for the Rain God decide to do in order to bring rain?

8. What is the theme of Lost Keys? Who is the central character?

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe the mythology of Xtabay, and the setting and themes in the story Iguana Hunting. What is symbolic in the children's vision?

Essay Topic 2

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 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)

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