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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. Why does Hazel purchase the bottles of veronal?

2. Which historical figure keeps intruding upon the narrator's thoughts?

3. What is the message behind the poem "Fable"?

4. What is the one "edged" thing in the poem "Midnight"?

5. According to "Salome's Dancing-Lesson," who does not need dance lessons?

Short Essay Questions

1. What story is told through the poem "There Was One"?

2. In "Soldiers of the Republic," what does the narrator learn about the life of a soldier?

3. Compare the poems "Star Light, Star Bright--" and "Purposely Ungrammatical Love Song." How are they similar?

4. How does the resolution of "Big Blonde" illustrate that Hazel's troubles are recurrent cycle?

5. Explain the allusions in the poem "Guinevere At Her Fireside."

6. Compare the poems "Ultimatum" and "Requiescat." How are they similar?

7. What is the cause of Mr. and Mrs. Weldon's divorce in the short story "Too Bad"?

8. Compare the poems "Surprise," "On Being A Woman," and "Second Love." What do they have in common?

9. Explain the allusions in the poem "Prayer for a New Mother."

10. In "Mrs. Hofstadter on Josephine Street," how is Horace the exact opposite of what the narrator and her husband are looking for?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Many of Dorothy Parker's characters are careless of others and sometimes even of themselves. Examine these careless characters and the effects that their behavior has on others and themselves. What observation does Parker seem to make through these characters? Support your points with specific examples and quotations from the text.

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

Analyze Dorothy Parker's criticisms of modern life. How does she attack consumerism and societal "niceties"? What aspects of modern culture does she find fault with? What are the negative consequences of such behaviors? Be sure to provide specific examples and quotations as support for your analysis.

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