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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 food did the unnamed narrator consistently eat during John's health kick?

2. What kind of beverage were the women at the gathering drinking in Fresno, 2014?

3. At what time did the unnamed narrator arrive at a hotel with the intention of having a one-night stand?

4. What pseudonym did the unnamed narrator use when she told the other women about her affair with a married professor?

5. Dominique told the unnamed narrator that she was how old when she got pregnant with an older man's child?

Short Essay Questions

1. What worldview did Fran express during her tirade depicted in Fresno, 2014 and how does the narrator now view Fran's comments?

2. What tactics did the unnamed narrator use to help herself summon enthusiasm about pursuing a pregnancy with John?

3. What object does the unnamed narrator's mother give to her in the section entitled Los Angeles, 2012 and why?

4. How did the unnamed narrator always feel about the prospect of having a baby?

5. For what reason did the unnamed narrator make several attempts to commit adultery before she was successful?

6. When the identity of the father of the unnamed narrator's child is finally revealed, who is it?

7. How does the unnamed narrator answer her own question about why people confide in her?

8. Discuss an element of the unnamed narrator's writing voice that shares qualities with her speaking voice.

9. In what specific setting does the story told by the unnamed narrator in the section entitled Santa Barbara, 2016 take place?

10. In what way does Popkey suggest that the reader unpack their own reactions to the life events of the woman in Santa Barbara?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Choose an object from Topics of Conversation, such as the hedge maze, alcoholic drinks, or some other symbolic object and discuss its overall meaning and its connection to themes within the text.

Essay Topic 2

Discuss Popkey’s messages concerning the nature of security. Does the text indicate that it is dangerous or crucial? Choose one adjective and prove its validity using concrete details from the text.

Essay Topic 3

What message does Popkey send within the pages of Topics of Conversation concerning the link between secrecy and control?

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