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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 had Brodman's mother done for a living?

2. Who is the person who comes unannounced to the narrator's father's apartment?

3. What is threatening the area where Noa lives?

4. What event in Brodman's life led to a period of depression for him?

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

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

4. What does the narrator initially think of Boaz when he shows up unexpectedly at her father's apartment?

5. How and to whom does Noa lose her virginity?

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

7. As an elderly man, what is Brodman's own assessment of the job he did as a father to two daughters?

8. What does the narrator seem to gather about Boaz's trip that she follows him on in the story "I Am Asleep but My Heart is Awake"?

9. What is one major thing that surprises the narrator in the story "I Am Asleep but My Heart is Awake" after her father's death?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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.

Essay Topic 2

In the story "End Days," why is it particularly disturbing to Noa that her parents, Leonard and Monica, are so sanguine about their own divorce? What do you think are the real reasons for Noa's feelings of turmoil and anguish following her parents' divorce? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 3

How would you describe the nature of the unnamed narrator's relationship with Victor in the story "End Days," and how does her discovery of her pregnancy change it? Write an essay explaining your answers.

(see the answer keys)

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