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

2. According to the poem "Indian Summer," how has the narrator changed since her youth?

3. How does Mr. Durant plan to get rid of the stray dog?

4. Which of the following best describes the way that the young man in "The Waltz" dances?

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

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Mr. Durant's response to the dog reveal about him?

2. Compare and contrast the poems "The Trifler" and "Braggart."

3. What trouble does the man in "You Were Perfectly Fine" create when he lies about remembering the taxi ride?

4. In "The Standard of Living," how are Midge and Annabel affected by the news of the actual price of the necklace in the shop window?

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

6. In the short story "A Telephone Call," how does the narrator rationalize her irrational behavior?

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

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

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

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

Examine the influence that Dorothy Parker's socialist perspective has on her writing, in particular her later writing. Be sure to include specific examples and quotations from several different pieces in order to support your points.

Essay Topic 2

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 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.

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