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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 happens at the end of the story?

2. What is the geographic setting for the story?

3. What is in the spilled glass?

4. Where do the old couple move to?

5. What is the old couple's condition after the accident?

Short Essay Questions

1. Which character is the least likable and why?

2. How is Mel's discussion of love similar to his profession?

3. Why does Mel become more and more animated?

4. What was happening when Mel arrived at the hospital?

5. Describe the interaction between Mel and Terri surrounding Mel's ex-wife.

6. Why does Terri hope that Marjorie will remarry or die?

7. What does Mel think of Nick and Laura's love?

8. How is a sense of repressed hostility presented in the story?

9. What does Mel seem to require in order to feel comfortable about opening up to the other characters?

10. Why is it ironic that Mel is a cardiologist by profession?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Syntax is the way an author puts words, sentences, and sections together to form ideas and meanings. It can be overt or subtle, isolated to a portion of the work or universal throughout. Describe the syntax Carver uses in this story. How do specific characteristics about the syntax contribute to the reader's experience of the work?

Essay Topic 2

Distinguish between tone and mood as used in literature, and then compare and contrast the tone and mood of Carver's story.

Essay Topic 3

What is the function of alcohol in Carver's story? How does it act as a catalyst for the plot?

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