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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 "While It Lasts," why is Bonnie unable to hear the last thing that Mr. Buffy tries to tell her?

2. In "Café Mort," what does the narrator guess about Maggie?

3. In "While It Lasts," whose owns the apartment where the party is held?

4. In "Boston Common at Twilight," what does Ned like about staying with his aunt?

5. In "Why I Don't Write," what is the likely source of items like "Sponge. Lemon. Milk" (66)?

Short Essay Questions

1. 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?

2. In "Café Mort," what does the narrator mean when, on page 89, she says "It's always an endless night"?

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. 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"?

5. In "While It Lasts," what does Isabel want from Bonnie, and why?

6. 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?

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

8. In "Café Mort," why would some of the waitresses be "proud" of their jobs (89)?

9. In "While It Lasts," how does the knapsack embody George's personality?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay in which you analyze the theme of "The Torch." Use textual evidence drawn from more than plot alone to support your claim.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay that makes and defends a claim about the theme of "While It Lasts." Use textual evidence to defend your ideas.

Essay Topic 3

Several of the stories in the collection Why I Write feature women who feel as if they are in an altered state--hypnotic, dreaming, and so on--when they are with certain men. Write an essay that traces this thematic motif through at least three of the stories; explain how it is developed and what its significance is. Support your claims with textual evidence.

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