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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," what do the regular patrons talk about constantly?
2. In "Why I Don't Write," what is the likely source of items like "Sponge. Lemon. Milk" (66)?
3. In "While It Lasts," who is hosting the dinner party?
4. 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)?
5. In "While It Lasts," George is said to be "an expert at being flippant" (82). What does this mean George is good at?
Short Essay Questions
1. In "Café Mort," what does the narrator mean when, on page 89, she says "It's always an endless night"?
2. In "Boston Common at Twilight," what alternative place to stay is available to Ned, and why does he prefer to stay with his aunt?
3. 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"?
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," what television show does Ned secretly watch? Why does he enjoy it?
6. In "While It Lasts," what subject does Isabel keep making bitter jokes about, and why does she do this?
7. In "While It Lasts," what does Isabel want from Bonnie, and why?
8. In "Café Mort," what evidence is there that the narrator is ready to leave her grief behind even before Anita speaks to her?
9. What question begins "Why I Don't Write," and how is this question related to the rest of the story?
10. In "Boston Common at Twilight," what clues does Minot offer that the woman in the park might be biologically male?
Essay Topics
Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:
Essay Topic 1
Many of the stories in Why I Don't Write are concerned with time: the past intrudes on the present, time expands and contracts around the characters. Write an essay that takes and defends a position about the role of time in Minot's collection. Use evidence from at least three stories to support your claims.
Essay Topic 2
Write an essay that makes and defends a claim about the role that parents play in Minot's collection. Do you think that the role parents play in shaping our personalities, beliefs about the world, and adult capacities is portrayed realistically or unrealistically? Use evidence from at least three stories in the collection to support your ideas.
Essay Topic 3
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.
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This section contains 934 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) |
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