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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 kind of avant-garde poetry is Marco described as being interested in, in "La Frontera"?

2. Who is described as the tour guide for the silver mines in "Pain Tours (I)"?

3. On what day of the week does the author describe having an abortion in "The Empathy Exams"?

4. What does the author describe writing papers about when she began graduate school in "Morphology of the Hit"?

5. What is Adan's profession said to be in "La Frontera"?

Short Essay Questions

1. How did Dawn characterize the difference between doctors and nurses in "Devil's Bait"?

2. What is Flarf poetry?

3. How is Favio described in "Pain Tours (I)"?

4. How does the author describe her relationship with Dave in "The Empathy Exams"?

5. What is a medical actor? How is this job described by the author?

6. How is the narrative related in "The Empathy Exams"?

7. What does the author describe as her experience with a parasite under the skin in "Devil's Bait"?

8. What television show is described in the section called "Sublime, Revised" in "Pain Tours (I)"?

9. Who wrote Morphology of the Folktale? What is it about?

10. How is the road from Tijuana to Mexicali described in "La Frontera"?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the author's struggles with Dave in the first essay. How did these personal struggles change the author's perceptions of empathy? How did they shape her understanding of pain and suffering? In what ways did the author evolve through this situation?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss symbolism as explored in "Pain Tours (II)." What is represented by Frida Kahlo's corsets? What does the Bolivian supermarket symbolize in the second section of the essay, "Servicoi Supercompleto"? What do the writings of James Agee symbolize in the last section of the essay?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the theme of guilt in "Morphology of the Hit." Why does the author describe feeling guilt after her assault? How did the guilt that emerged from that event change the author? How did it shape her perceptions of empathy?

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