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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. Who does the narrator live with in the story "Future Emergencies"?

2. When do Sophie and Ezra get back together again after an initial break-up?

3. What do the narrator and the landscape architect do in their last years together?

4. How do the narrator and the person she lives with first meet in the story "Future Emergencies"?

5. What does the landscape architect say about nature?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Romi do to help the narrator when the narrator is in a crisis?

2. What problems does the narrator in the story "Seeing Ershadi" have in her career?

3. In the story "Amour," where does the narrator encounter Sophie again years after first meeting her?

4. What experience does Romi tell the narrator about Ershadi?

5. What does Sophie sometimes do in the refugee camp to keep the others amused?

6. What is one clear event that Sophie remembers led to her and Ezra's final breakup?

7. What is the ultimate reason the authorities give for distributing gas masks?

8. What does the narrator in the story "Seeing Ershadi" think about the film Taste of Cherry?

9. What do the generals persuade the landscape architect to do in the story "In the Garden?"

10. How does the narrator in the story "Future Emergencies" feel about the gas masks?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In the story "Future Emergencies," what is the symbolism of the gas masks, and why does the unnamed narrator get so upset at seeing victor wear his? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 2

In the story "Switzerland," what connections or parallels does Krauss draw between very young women's burgeoning sexuality, power, and vulnerability? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 3

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.

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