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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 is the "rotten news" that Mimi's husband brings with him?

2. How many different women have redecorated Hobie's apartment?

3. In the poem "Unfortunate Coincidence," what does the narrator have to say about love?

4. In "Light of Love," which lover knows the narrator best?

5. What surprises the woman at the dinner party about Katherine Burke in the story "Arrangement in Black and White"?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the irony in the end of the short story "The Waltz"?

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

3. Describe the role of Mrs. Whittaker in the story "The Wonderful Old Gentleman."

4. Why does the woman in "The Waltz" agree to dance with the young man even though she does not want to?

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. Compare the poems "Social Note" and "For An Unknown Lady."

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

9. How does the woman in "Arrangement in Black and White" characterize her husband?

10. What message about love is conveyed by the poem "A Very Short Song"?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

In many of Dorothy Parker's stories, relationships become strained because the characters do not speak honestly to one another. Instead, one character will say whatever he/she thinks the other wants to hear, or characters will skirt around a subject all together. Examine how this kind of dishonesty affects relationships in Parker's short stories. Be sure to include specific examples and quotations to support your observations.

Essay Topic 3

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.

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