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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 emotion does the narrator of "Temps Perdu" feel when she sees a laurel tree in May?

2. What does the narrator of "Guinevere At Her Fireside" say about the bravest man?

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

4. Throughout their marriage, how many evenings have the Weldons experienced that are similar to the one described in "Too Bad"?

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

Short Essay Questions

1. What kind of advice do the poems "Prologue to a Saga" and "The Lady's Reward" give to women?

2. What explains Miss Wilmarth's "curious expression" in the short story "Horsie"?

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

4. How does the narrator of "Lady With a Lamp" make Mona feel worse rather than better?

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

6. How does Hazel Morse lose her own identity in her efforts to please others in the short story "Big Blonde"?

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

8. In the poem "The Last Question," what is the purpose of the italicized lines?

9. Compare the poems "Bric-A-Brac," "Fulfillment," and "Theory." What do these poems have in common?

10. Describe Mr. Cruger's attitude toward his daughter in the story "Horsie."

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Dorothy Parker often portrays the relationship between men and women as adversarial. Support this observation by providing and analyzing evidence from both her short stories and her poetry. Be sure to use specific examples and quotations when appropriate.

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

Describe Dorothy Parker's writing style in her essays. How does this style compare to her short stories and poetry? How do her tone and word choice compare? What types of imagery does she use? How does her writing style influence the effectiveness of her essays? Be sure to include specific examples and quotations to support your observations.

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