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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 lessons does the overweight woman of Disappearing take in order to get away from her boorish and insulting husband?

3. The protagonist in Arrest Me wants to go to prison to do what?

4. Where is the author of Mr. and Mrs. Martins from?

5. The author of Family Album hails from where?

Short Essay Questions

1. What takes place in Katya? Who are the characters and what actions do they take in the narrative?

2. What central theme do Disappearing, A Lover's Ear, and Facing the Light all share? How are their characters similar?

3. How do the elderly couple in Mr. and Mrs. Martins prepare for death?

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

5. 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?

6. What memory is related in the story Snow?

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

8. What is the back-story established in Orion? Who are the main characters?

9. How does the story The Model reflect the theme of aging?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe the themes, symbolism, and imagery implemented by the author in The Grasshopper and the Bell Cricket. How does the tone of this story differ or relate to those around it in the anthology?

Essay Topic 2

Describe and analyze the narrative voice, tense, and structure of La Volpaia. How do the themes and symbolism in this narrative relate to others in the anthology?

Essay Topic 3

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?

(see the answer keys)

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