View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does the narrator's father's friend who comes unannounced to her father's apartment tell her he does for a living?

2. What does the narrator notice about the stranger's habits who comes to stay at her father's apartment?

3. Who does the narrator in the story "I Am Asleep but My Heart is Awake" dream is at the apartment door in the start of the story?

4. What happens at the rabbi's house that Noa would never have expected?

5. Who does Noa do her deliveries for work with?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why is the narrator of "Switzerland" so transfixed by Soraya?

2. What conclusion does the narrator in the story "I Am Asleep but My Heart is Awake" come to about her father's feelings for New York and Tel Aviv?

3. What event coincides with Brodman's near-death experience?

4. Why does Brodman take his infant grandson to the roof at the end of the story?

5. What understanding passes between the bride and Noa about parents during their brief meeting?

6. When and how does Soraya's relationship with the Dutch banker come crashing down?

7. What difference of opinion do Noa and her sister Rachel have about Leonard's and Monica's divorce?

8. In the story "Zusya on the Roof," what physical problems has Brodman just started to overcome?

9. How does the narrator meet Soraya in the story "Switzerland"?

10. Who, shockingly, reminds the narrator of "Switzerland" of Soraya decades after they have lived together, and how does this person remind her of Soraya?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Krauss introduces many characters over several different stories who are experiencing grief over the death of a loved one. Write an essay analyzing Krauss's treatment of the themes of grief and death.

Essay Topic 2

How would you describe the unnamed narrator's feelings about the famous landscape architect's interactions with the generals in the story "In the Garden," which result in the generals using one of the architect's gardens to bury bodies of executed prisoners in? Write an essay explaining your answers.

Essay Topic 3

What events, circumstances, or other character(s) change the relationship dynamics between Tamar and her family - and especially the character Sandor - in the story "The Husband"? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 772 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample