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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 author's assessment of Frida Kahlo's works she calls what color "the undergarments of ghosts" (152)?

2. Who did James Earl Ray assassinate?

3. What is Blake Wood's profession?

4. Nearing what age was Charlie when the author visited him in prison in "Fog Count"?

5. How many entrants are allowed to run in the Barkley Marathons each year?

Short Essay Questions

1. Where do the Barkley Marathons take place? How is this setting described?

2. How does the author describe Charlie when she first sees him in "Fog Count"?

3. What were the supplies that Julian took on the race in "The Immortal Horizon"?

4. What are some of the examples of wounded women described by the author in "Grand Unified Theory of Female Pain"?

5. What does the author describe the maid doing in Madame Bovary in "In Defense of Saccharine(e)"?

6. What statement is the author making in "Grand Unified Theory of Female Pain"?

7. How were the West Memphis Three depicted and perceived by their community at the time of their trial?

8. How is Blake Wood described in "The Immortal Horizon"?

9. How is Jim described in "In Defense of Saccharine(e)"?

10. Who originated the Barkley Marathons? How is this individual described?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the theme/motif of physical pain in The Empathy Exams. What are examples of physical pain as described in narratives by the author? How does physical pain relate to empathy? How does it differ in that relation from mental pain?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss The Morphology of the Folktale as it is explored by the author in the essays. What are some of the literary components described from this book? How many are there? How do they connect to the author's narratives?

Essay Topic 3

What is empathy? From where does this word originate? What are its roots? How is empathy different than sympathy? Why is empathy important?

(see the answer keys)

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