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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. In "Café Mort," who comes in with the electrocuted woman?
2. On page 66 of "Why I Don't Write," what is the subject of the only article the narrator reads all the way through?
3. In "Café Mort," what does the woman with purple fingers complain about?
4. In the context of "Café Mort," what does the word "mort" mean?
5. In "Boston Common at Twilight," what is the rhetorical purpose of mentioning the rip in Ned's parka?
Short Essay Questions
1. In "While It Lasts," what subject does Isabel keep making bitter jokes about, and why does she do this?
2. In "Café Mort," what does her experience at the café teach the narrator about being "lucky" in life?
3. In "Café Mort," what evidence is there that the narrator is ready to leave her grief behind even before Anita speaks to her?
4. 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?
5. In "Boston Common at Twilight," why does Ned end up taking an earlier train than usual, and how does this matter to the story's plot?
6. In "Boston Common at Twilight," what alternative place to stay is available to Ned, and why does he prefer to stay with his aunt?
7. 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)?
8. In "Why I Don't Write," what types of repetition are used in the page 69 paragraph "Cleaning out the closets. Cleaning out the drawers. Clearing out the basement," and what effect does the device create?
9. In "Boston Common at Twilight," what is implied by the last section of the story, that takes place as Ned grows into adulthood?
10. 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)?
Essay Topics
Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:
Essay Topic 1
Write an essay in which you make and defend a claim about the "plant" names "Ivy" and "Daisy" in "Occupied" and "Polepole." Why are both women given "plant" names? In what way do the two names differ, and how does this highlight differences in the two characters? Support your ideas with evidence from the text.
Essay Topic 2
The collection Why I Write contains stories that are traditional and stories that are more experimental. Write an essay that categorizes the stories as one or the other and then takes and defends a stance about which type of stories are more successful for Minot. Be sure to use textual evidence to support your ideas.
Essay Topic 3
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.
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This section contains 1,104 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) |
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