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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Throughout "Why I Don't Write," variations of what question are asked several times?
(a) "When will the magazines arrive?"
(b) "Is this as unbelievable as I think it is?"
(c) "How many children do you have?"
(d) "Can I just see that one more time?"

2. In "While It Lasts," what does Bonnie do for a living?
(a) She is a public defender.
(b) She is a psychologist.
(c) She is a teacher.
(d) She is an interior designer.

3. In "While It Lasts," what comparison does Bonnie make between George and Mr. Buffy?
(a) Mr. Buffy seems wise compared to George.
(b) Mr. Buffy seems more real than George.
(c) George is funnier than Mr. Buffy.
(d) George is more direct than Mr. Buffy.

4. At what time of year does "Boston Common at Twilight" take place?
(a) Christmas.
(b) Easter.
(c) Halloween.
(d) Thanksgiving.

5. On page 73 of "Why I Don't Write," the list of what "Bob Dylan says," ("He's all right" and "He's not all right") is an example of which technique?
(a) Oxymoron.
(b) Tautology.
(c) Paradox.
(d) Ambiguity.

6. In "While It Lasts," what does Isabel claim is "antisocial" (80)?
(a) Refusing to drink alcohol.
(b) Leaving a party early.
(c) Falling in love.
(d) Inside jokes.

7. In "While It Lasts," what does Bonnie find so compelling about George?
(a) His sense of humor.
(b) His high-powered job.
(c) His lack of anxiety.
(d) His attention to detail.

8. In "Café Mort," how did Karen's little brother die?
(a) He overdosed.
(b) He was hit by a school bus.
(c) He committed suicide.
(d) He fell out a window.

9. In "Café Mort," who is the restaurant manager?
(a) Gil.
(b) Roman.
(c) Jerry.
(d) Mac.

10. At the beginning of "While It Lasts," what object is George looking for?
(a) His laptop.
(b) His car keys.
(c) His backpack.
(d) His coat.

11. On page 71 of "Why I Don't Write," of which author does the narrator say, "Open any page...and have the top of your head taken off"?
(a) Dickenson.
(b) Dylan.
(c) Beckett.
(d) Rimbaud.

12. In "Café Mort," who comes in with the electrocuted woman?
(a) Her sister.
(b) Her husband.
(c) Her nurse.
(d) Her daughter.

13. In "Boston Common at Twilight," where is Ned's family home?
(a) Cambridge.
(b) Charlestown.
(c) Marshport.
(d) Concord.

14. In "Boston Common at Twilight," what is the rhetorical purpose of mentioning the rip in Ned's parka?
(a) It demonstrates that he is careless.
(b) It reveals the family's poverty.
(c) It reinforces how young he is.
(d) It introduces Ned's capacity for violence.

15. In "Why I Don't Write," what claim is made about the impact of having children on female writers?
(a) It deepens the emotion of their work.
(b) It focuses their writing too narrowly.
(c) It makes them more creative.
(d) It is an obstacle to their success.

Short Answer Questions

1. In "Why I Don't Write," what claim is implied by the list of female authors Jane Austen, Flannery O'Connor, and the Brontes?

2. In "Café Mort," what is the name of the woman in the white nightgown who claims that she is still alive?

3. According to "Why I Don't Write," what is the problem with making donations?

4. In "Café Mort," why does one of the customers always refer to himself using plurals?

5. In "Café Mort," how does the narrator unwind after a shift at work?

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