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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 "Tell Me Something Good," where will the speaker be if he opens his eyes?

2. In "Nothing," what do the speaker and his partner do together?

3. In "Not Even," what is the word for love in the speaker's language?

4. In "The Punctum," how does the speaker describe "the skill lodged in the gravedigger's hands"?

5. In "Reasons for Staying," mercy is small, but what is smaller?

Short Essay Questions

1. What items point to the suffering of the speaker's mother in "Amazon History of a Former Nail Salon Worker"?

2. What does the speaker imply but not directly state in "Tell Me Something Good"?

3. What does the speaker do with the movie in "Künstlerroman"?

4. What does the speaker in "The Punctum" learn about?

5. What particular item in "Amazon History of a Former Nail Salon Worker" is ominous and morbid?

6. What does the speaker eventually realize about himself and the man in the movie in "Künstlerroman"?

7. In "Scavengers," what kind of imagery does the speaker use?

8. In "Nothing," what story about Peter's grandmother does the speaker recount?

9. In "Scavengers," who is the speaker with and in what context?

10. What does the speaker do with Peter in "Nothing"?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How does Vuong experiment with different forms and structures of his poems throughout this collection? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 2

How does Vuong explore the topic of fear in different situations and contexts throughout this conclusions? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 3

How does the speaker address different stages of his relationship with Peter, his partner, throughout the collection? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

(see the answer keys)

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