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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. Who is the founder and guide of the Gang Tour, according to the author in "Pain Tours (I)"?

2. Where are the Pastor and his church congregation on the Gang Tour said to be from in "Pain Tours (I)"?

3. Where does one take the bus after landing in El Alto in order to reach the highest city in the world?

4. What is the title of the third section in "Pain Tours (I)"?

5. Where is the Morgellons convention that the author describes attending in "Devil's Bait"?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. Where does the author describe living in "Morphology of the Hit"? What was she doing there?

3. What is Morgellons disease?

4. Why does the author say she made Dr. M a villain in her story in "The Empathy Exams"?

5. How does the author describe Tijuana in "La Frontera"?

6. How is San Ysidro described in "La Frontera"?

7. Where does the author describe the conference being held in "Devil's Bait"?

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

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

10. How does the author demonstrate the American tendency to generalize Mexico in "La Frontera"?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the theme of poverty/slum tourism in The Empathy Exams. How is this theme developed through setting in the author's narratives? How is it developed through characterization? How is it developed through metaphor and action?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the theme of female suffering as explored in "Grand Unified Theory of Female Pain." What are some examples from literature of female suffering presented by the author? What are examples from popular culture? What conclusions does the author reach regarding the depiction of female suffering?

Essay Topic 3

How is metaphor central in "In Defense of Saccharin(e)"? What is the central metaphor in the essay? How do you relate to this metaphor? Is this metaphor effective in illustrating the author's points in the essay?

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