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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 does the older woman in "Northeast Playground" say separated mothers on the playground when she was younger?

2. Who is the speaker in "The Little Girl"?

3. What is Lavinia busy with when her mother visits at the end of "Lavinia: An Old Story"?

4. Who does Faith find has returned to her house when she comes back from Mrs. Luddy's?

5. What event trigged Cissy being sent to a psychiatric home?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the story the narrator writes for her father when he asks for a simple story in "A Conversation with My Father."

2. What conclusion does George come to after his pinball machine is rejected in "This Is a Story About My Friend George"?

3. In "Anxiety," why does the father get upset with his daughter says "oink, oink"?

4. Who tells the American tourists they "do not love the Chinese people" (288) in "Somewhere Else"?

5. Who is Mrs. Luddy and why does Faith stay in her apartment?

6. What happened to Selena's daughter Abby? What did Tonto say about Abby at the end?

7. What does Faith do at the end of the story after she and her father argue? Describe the mood.

8. Why do the women in "Politics" want a fence built around the playground?

9. What happens to Juniper in "Little Girl"?

10. Who is Philip In "Dreamer in A Dead Language"? Why does he want to meet Faith's father?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Examine the use of dialogue versus the use of description. Write an essay about how each is used in Paley's stories.

Essay Topic 2

Choose two characters and discuss their similarities and differences.

Essay Topic 3

Choose two stories and write an essay analyzing narrative voice in Paley of The Collected Stories of Grace Paley. Include thoughts on how the narrative voice of the story is effective in conveying the story’s themes.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 711 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample