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| Name: _________________________ | Period: ___________________ |
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," how does the narrator unwind after a shift at work?
2. On page 73 of "Why I Don't Write," the list of what "Bob Dylan says," ("He's all right" and "He's not all right") is an example of which technique?
3. On page 107 of "Boston Common at Twilight," what causes Ned to sudden feel "that something uncertain was going to happen and he would be blamed for whatever it was"?
4. In "Café Mort," what occupies the attention of the "beige woman"?
5. In "While It Lasts," why do George and Bonnie not stop for a drink with her brother after the movie?
Short Essay Questions
1. In "While It Lasts," how does the knapsack embody George's personality?
2. 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?
3. In "Why I Don't Write," what is the rhetorical purpose of the images of people looking at their phones?
4. In "Café Mort," what does the narrator need to rid herself of before she can leave the café?
5. In "Café Mort," what does her experience at the café teach the narrator about being "lucky" in life?
6. What question begins "Why I Don't Write," and how is this question related to the rest of the story?
7. In "Café Mort," what evidence is there that the narrator is ready to leave her grief behind even before Anita speaks to her?
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. 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"?
10. In "While It Lasts," what is Isabel's main complaint about Richard, and what does she think is the cause of the problem?
Essay Topics
Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:
Essay Topic 1
Choose one motif in the listed items in "Why I Don't Write." Write an essay that traces the development of this motif and explains how it supports the story's overall theme. Use textual evidence to support your claims.
Essay Topic 2
Write an essay in which you consider the possible layers of meaning in the title of the story "The Torch." Obviously, the woman in the story is carrying a torch for "John." But who else in the story is carrying a torch? And why not call it "Infatuation," or something similar--what is symbolically important about fire? Consider these and any other elements of the title that you find significant. Support your ideas with evidence from the text.
Essay Topic 3
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.
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This section contains 1,110 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) |
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