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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. In "Café Mort," what does the narrator guess about Maggie?
(a) That she will quit soon.
(b) That she is in love with one of the cooks.
(c) That she is unaware that the patrons are dead.
(d) That she is an orphan.

2. In "While It Lasts," what single word is Bonnie's "first lie to [George]" (87)?
(a) "Isabel."
(b) "Nothing."
(c) "Yesterday."
(d) "Yes."

3. In "Why I Don't Write," what family member does the narrator have a conflict with?
(a) Her mother.
(b) Her husband.
(c) Her brother.
(d) Her daughter.

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

5. In "Boston Common at Twilight," what is Ned embarrassed about when he remembers coming to Boston Common with his mother seven years before?
(a) How little he knew about Boston.
(b) The argument he got into with his mother.
(c) His mother's drinking.
(d) The outfits he and his brother wore.

Short Answer Questions

1. In "Why I Don't Write," what feeling does the narrator say "used to have a ragged pain, sometimes wafty, sometimes sharp as needles" (70)?

2. In "Boston Common at Twilight," why are Ned's parents splitting up?

3. In "While It Lasts," what does Isabel claim is "antisocial" (80)?

4. In "Why I Don't Write," what does the narrator say "used ot be more awful" (72)?

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

Short Essay Questions

1. In "Boston Common at Twilight," what clues does Minot offer that the woman in the park might be biologically male?

2. In "Boston Common at Twilight," why does Ned not try to get away or yell for help?

3. In "While It Lasts," why does Bonnie think that George is a particularly good match for her?

4. In "While It Lasts," what subject does Isabel keep making bitter jokes about, and why does she do this?

5. At the end of "While It Lasts," what does Bonnie realize about her relationship?

6. On page 73 of "Why I Don't Write," what is the effect of the single word change from "I don't read it anymore" to the later item "I don't read anymore"?

7. What question begins "Why I Don't Write," and how is this question related to the rest of the story?

8. In the second paragraph of "Why I Don't Write," what is the implication of the list following the phrase "then it all stops" (65)?

9. In "Why I Don't Write," what is the page 69 phrase "The thumping far below the floor" an allusion to, and what is its thematic significance?

10. In "Café Mort," why does the narrator say that the stream of advice coming from the patrons is "either instructive or ironic, depending on your perspective" (93)?

(see the answer keys)

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