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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 thought makes Tom smile at the very end of "Green Glass"?

2. In "Polepole," what detail about "the man's" life does he claim he thought that Bragg would already have told Daisy?

3. In "Polepole," what does Daisy notice on the ride home that she did not notice the evening before?

4. In "Occupied," what "theme" does Ivy notice among the various protest signs (39)?

5. In "Occupied," who does Ivy think that she sees in the park?

Short Essay Questions

1. In "Polepole," Daisy's comment of "I don't even know where I am" (3) has both a literal and a figurative meaning. Explain why this is so.

2. In "Polepole," what meaning does Daisy assign to the look Cecily gives her at the end of the story?

3. In "Occupied," what is implied by the repeated descriptions of the wind?

4. In "Polepole," what is Daisy's response to finding out that "the man" has a wife?

5. In "Polepole," what difference is there between the way Daisy and "the man" view Kibera?

6. In "The Torch," what does the woman remember about being with John?

7. In "Occupied," what construction is happening near the park, and what is its significance?

8. In "Occupied," what is the thematic significance of Ivy's realization that the encampment seems larger and more substantial in photographs that she has seen of it?

9. On page 36 of "Occupied," what is meant by the assertion that "In her brain there was always a someone"?

10. On page 55 of "Green Glass," what does Fran mean when she says, "Men like to think women aren't sensitive, at convenient times"?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay that makes and defends a claim about how the techniques of stream-of-consciousness and the catalog support the theme of "Why I Don't Write." Use specific textual evidence to support your ideas.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay that analyzes the function of Isabel's character in "While It Lasts." What kind of a person is she? How does she impact Bonnie and George? What does she add to the reader's experience, and why is she included in the story? Support your claims with textual evidence.

Essay Topic 3

Some critics point out that Minot's writing appears to come from a place of privilege that marginalizes characters and concerns from outside of white, hetero-normative, middle- and upper-class society. Write an essay that responds in some way to this concern. You may affirm the idea, refute it, or qualify it. Support your ideas with textual evidence; if you use outside sources, cite them in MLA format.

(see the answer keys)

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