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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 "Not Even," what does the speaker say he used to be?

3. In "Ars Poetica as the Maker," what book of the Bible does Vuong quote from?

4. In "Not Even," what does the woman on the train bring to the speaker?

5. In "Scavengers," who does the fisherman become at the end of the poem?

Short Essay Questions

1. Where does the speaker in "The Punctum" visit?

2. Where does the speaker see himself in "Tell Me Something Good"?

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

4. In "Amazon History of a Former Nail Salon Worker," what does the reader learn about the speaker's mother?

5. In "Not Even," what does a young woman tell the speaker that the speaker finds offensive?

6. What does the speaker make a list of in "Reasons for Staying"?

7. What are some reasons the speaker wants to stay in his hometown in "Reasons for Staying"?

8. In "Nothing," what does the speaker wonder about himself and Peter?

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

10. Where does the main in the movie keep returning to in "Künstlerroman"?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How does Vuong address the act and topic of forgiveness throughout the collection? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 2

How does Vuong's personal background as the child of an immigrant and a single mother inform some of the topics in this collection? Write an essay explaining your answers.

Essay Topic 3

Through which poems, and using which devices, does Vuong address the topic of police violence and brutality in modern America - especially towards people of color? 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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