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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 advice does the poem "Resume" give?

2. How does Mimi describe her husband's visit when her friend calls?

3. In "The Leal," on what can the narrator rely?

4. What figure sits on the mantel in the Bains' living room?

5. In "Social Note," what advice does the narrator give to women who are seduced by "discreet" men?

Short Essay Questions

1. Explain the irony in the poem "The False Friends."

2. Why does the young bride in the short story "Here We Are" worry about the fact that so many people get married every day?

3. In the story "Dusk Before Fireworks," why does Kit try to pretend that she is not bothered by the attention that other women pay to Hobie?

4. What does Mr. Durant's reaction to Rose's situation and her departure reveal about him?

5. What is ironic about Mrs. Martindale's volunteer efforts in the short story, "Song of the Shirt, 1941"?

6. In the short story, "The Wonderful Old Gentleman," what influence has the Old Gentleman had on the Bains' lives in the five years that he has lived with them?

7. What do the poems "Interview" and "Neither Bloody Nor Bowed" have in common?

8. What is the cause of the underlying tension between the young bride and the groom in "Here We Are"?

9. What do the poems "I Know I Have Been Happiest" and "I Shall Come Back" have in common?

10. What does the short story "The Sexes" reveal about the relationship between the young man and the girl he is dating?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Dorothy Parker is well-known for her use of verbal irony, both in her conversations and in her writing. Examine Parker's use of verbal irony in her short stories, poems, and essays. How does her use of verbal irony result in a unique and recognizable style? Include examples and quotations to illustrate this style.

Essay Topic 2

Suicide plays a recurring role in many of Dorothy Parker's poems and in some short stories. Examine the role that suicide plays in both her poetry and her short stories. What seems to be her attitude toward suicide and those who attempt or commit it? What circumstances drive characters toward suicide? How do these details compare to Parker's own life? How might her own experiences have influenced her writing?

Essay Topic 3

Examine Dorothy Parker's "Self Portrait" and her letters. What do these pieces reveal about her as a person? How do these revelations compare to the themes and characters that she writes about? Be sure to include specific examples and quotations to support these observations.

(see the answer keys)

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