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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 is the likely rhetorical purpose of the midges and the fly mentioned in the story?

2. After Matteen came out of the woods on the night he first kissed Sarah, what did he do?

3. To what animal does Martina compare the drummer?

4. What is the narrator describing on page 1 when he talks about "tenderized brain cases and seesawing stomachs"?

5. Which character "resembles nothing so much as his own freshly revived corpse" (54)?

Short Essay Questions

1. What in Tug's interaction with the children at the bridge demonstrates the softer side of his nature?

2. How did Matteen and Sarah first get together, and how did their relationship end?

3. What is the setting of "The Clancy Kid"?

4. Describe the main character of "Stand Your Skin."

5. How does Teddy end up in Bleak Woods, and what happens to him, there?

6. Who is Martina's college boyfriend, and why is she thinking about ending the relationship?

7. Describe Bat's relationship with his mother in "Stand Your Skin."

8. What is the relationship between Jimmy and Marlene?

9. Why do Val and Martina keep their relationship a secret?

10. What happens when the four underage girls arrive at the club on the night the story opens?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The first five pieces in the anthology center on characters who have chosen to stay in Glanbeigh. The Last two focus on characters who have chosen to leave, but who end up coming home, at least temporarily, when they run into trouble in the wider world. Write an essay that makes and defends a claim about the thematic idea being advanced by this structure. Use evidence from at least two stories in the first section of the book and evidence from both of the stories in the latter section as you defend your claim.

Essay Topic 2

What is the rhetorical function of the descriptive language used on pages 32-35 of "Bait"? Make and defend a claim about the significance of the diction and imagery used in this section; be sure to take into account what has already happened in the story, the action that occurs on pages 32-35, and the story's characterization of Teddy.

Essay Topic 3

In "The Moon," Martina seems scornful toward the town where she was raised and the people who have chosen to remain there. This sentiment is expressed by "leavers" and outsiders in several stories in Young Skins. Do the stories offer any counterclaims from the perspectives of the small-town inhabitants, or do the stories leave this perspective unchallenged? Write an essay that makes and defends a claim about what the stories seem to be saying about the value of staying in an environment like Glanbeigh. Use evidence from "The Moon" and at least two other stories to support your ideas.

(see the answer keys)

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