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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. In "The Shawl" who steals the shawl?

2. In "The Rotifer" what color hair did the woman in the taxi cab have?

3. In "The Key" how many children does Bessie have?

4. In "The Rotifer" what is the fiance's name?

5. In "A City of Churches" why do they need Cecilia to stay?

Short Essay Questions

1. Compare and contrast Connie and her sister June in "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?"

2. Do you feel that the subject matter of "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" is still relevant today?

3. In "Janus" how is Andrea two-faced when she is with her lover?

4. Why do you think that Bessie dies at the end of "The Key"?

5. In "The Key" how did Bessie's life used to be?

6. How does Connie feel about her family in "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?"

7. In "The Rotifer" where does the narrator first see her cousin's fiance?

8. In "The Gesturing" what do Joan and Ruth have in common?

9. Describe the motel in "Birthmates."

10. In "Birthmates" why doesn't Art like Billy?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Explain the concept of an unreliable narrator and how this is used in "That in Aleppo Once..."

Essay Topic 2

Compare and contrast the idea of familial obligation as it appears in "The Rotifer" and "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?"

Essay Topic 3

Many of the writers within the compilation are world-renowned authors. Select an author from the anthology and explore the following in an essay:

a) Describe their place in history as a writer.

b) Explain why he/she was and still is pivotal to contemporary literature.

(see the answer keys)

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