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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. About how many essay collections and books did G. K. Chesterton write in his lifetime?

2. Who wrote "An Apology for Idlers?"

3. What event starts the essay, "On Running After One's Hat?"

4. How did Virginia Woolf die?

5. Who wrote "Leaving the Movie Theater?"

Short Essay Questions

1. What two works of G. K. Chesterton are included in this volume? What are the subjects of these essays?

2. What views is Henry David Thoreau well known for? How did he believe one should live one's life?

3. What is the subject of Krim's "For My Brothers and Sisters in the Failure Business"? What feelings does Krim express in the essay?

4. What is Jose Luis Borges' perspective on his own increasing blindness, as revealed in his essay "Blindness?"

5. What level of literary output did G. K. Chesterton achieve in his lifetime?

6. What is Robert Louis Stevenson best known for today?

7. What tone does Mary McCarthy use in "My Confession?" How does she approach herself as well as the subjects of her essays?

8. Under what circumstances are Lu Hsun's "This Tool is Life" and "Death" written? What are the subjects of these essays?

9. What subject dominated the writings of George Orwell? Name three specific things George Orwell wrote about.

10. What is the subject of E.B. White's "Once More to the Lake"? What is the message White relays about the state of the lake?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Sei Shonagon in "Hateful Things" and William Hazlitt in "On the Pleasure of Hating" both talk about the nature of hatred.

A) Is hate a healthy emotion, according to either author? Compare their views on the healthiness of hate.

B) What types of things are hated by each author? Are there more useful things than others to hate? What types of things might be too insignificant to hate?

Essay Topic 2

Journeying is the topic of Henry David Thoreau's "Walking" and William Hazlitt's "On Going a Journey."

A) What is the nature of the "journey" each man takes? Is the journey physical, spiritual, philosophical?

B) How might each man's journey be applied to larger life issues?

Essay Topic 3

"The Fight" by William Hazlitt and "The Execution of Tropmann" by Ivan Turgenev are examples of sub-genres of the personal essay, reportage.

A) What makes each essay an example of reportage?

B) What is each author's opinion on what they are reporting? Are they intrigued, disgusted, objective, etc.?

C) Compare and contrast the tones in both pieces. How does tone relate to reportage?

(see the answer keys)

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