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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 story "The Sexes," why is the girl upset with the young man?

2. What does Hobie do after Kit leaves?

3. What is the narrator's intent in the poem "Lullaby"?

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

5. What does Mrs. Corning ask the volunteers at headquarters to do before they leave for vacation?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. In "The Standard of Living," why does Midge become so upset over Annabel's imaginary purchase of a silver fox coat, and what does her reaction suggest about her personality?

3. Why is Mimi upset after her husband's phone call in the beginning of "The Lovely Leave"?

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

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

6. How might Mrs. Martindale solve Mrs. Wyman's problem and her own at the same time?

7. In "Arrangement in Black and White," what do the woman's behavior and comments at the dinner party reveal about her?

8. How are the poems "Somebody's Song," "Unfortunate Coincidence," and "Comment" similar?

9. Why is Mimi upset by her husband's compliment about her black dress in "The Lovely Leave"?

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

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

Some of Dorothy Parker's short stories follow a traditional story format of narrative and dialogue, while others rely simply on one-sided dialogue. Examine these two different approaches to storytelling and evaluate the effectiveness of each. What does Parker achieve by only giving one side of the conversation in some stories? Why might some stories require more complete description? How might the stories be different if she chose a different approach? Be sure to provide specific examples and quotations when appropriate.

Essay Topic 3

Analyze the ways in which some characters in Dorothy Parker's short stories exert control over other characters. What methods do they use to gain and maintain this control? What purpose does this control seem to serve? What seems to be Parker's attitude toward these "controlling" characters? Be sure to include specific examples and quotations to support your points.

(see the answer keys)

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