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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 is the man Sophie has as a partner for many years?

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

3. What does "the husband" hold, unexpectedly, when Tamar's mother first meets him in her apartment?

4. What happens to the narrator spontaneously during her job in the story "Seeing Ershadi"?

5. What does the narrator say a garden depends on?

Short Essay Questions

1. What discovery at the end of the story "Future Emergencies" changes the path of the narrator's and Victor's relationship?

2. What prompts the narrator to get back in touch with Romi again after many years of not communicating?

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

4. What irrational thought does the narrator have as she tries to catch up with Ershadi in the Zen garden?

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

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

7. How does Sophie deal with her first breakup from Ezra?

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

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

10. What does the famous landscape architect instruct the narrator to do upon his death?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay discussing Krauss's treatment of the themes of both familial and religious obligations in the story "Zusya on the Roof."

Essay Topic 2

Why do you think Krauss has chosen to leave so many of her narrators and main characters unnamed? How does this choice affect a reader's experience of the collection? Write an essay explaining your answers.

Essay Topic 3

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.

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