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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. At what time of day did Gertrude Stein typically begin to work?

2. What was the name of the confectioner who made honey cakes and nut candies?

3. What area of Paris is popular with artists?

4. What lessons did Alice want to receive?

5. How old was Picasso when he painted the portrait of Gertrude Stein?

Short Essay Questions

1. According to Alice Gertrude Stein remained firmly born in Allegheny, Pennsylvania. What was one of the reasons that Gertrude refused to consider California her birthplace?

2. Among the people discussed with Fernande is Germaine Pichot. What is unusual about the wife of the Spanish painter?

3. How did Stein and Toklas resolve their growing need for money?

4. How did Alice come to meet Gertrude Stein's brother and sister-in-law?

5. Gertrude Stein left California when she was 17-years-old. The author describes the writer as having a drastic change of lifestyle when she moved to the East Coast. What was the main change in Gertrude's life at that time?

6. What is Gertrude Stein's brother's theory about the masking of unemployment in Paris?

7. Why was Gertrude grateful to have failed to receive her degree from Johns Hopkins?

8. What was referred to as "un petit Luxembourg?"

9. Why did Toklas say it was with "infinite relief England came into the war"?

10. When Alice first goes to the starting this apartment, she is introduced to Helene, the Stein's housekeeper. What are Alice's impressions of Helene?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

One of the techniques used in the book is the flashback. Cite five examples of a flashback and the relevance of each to the story. Explain how the use of flashback may have hindered the story in the mind of the reader. Also explain why Stein felt that it was necessary to use the flashback method.

Essay Topic 2

Mildred Aldrich was upset that Stein was not more readily recognized by the Americans yet professed that it was more important to be recognized by the British? What were Aldrich's reasons for the belief? How did that belief affect Stein's decisions?

Essay Topic 3

Money was mentioned on occasion but usually when it posed a problem regarding the ability to live in Paris or during war time. It was never discussed how Stein and Toklas made their money, only that it was wise to be frugal. When the women ran out of money, they contacted relatives for help. Where do you think the women got the funds to live on? How did their lifestyle help or hinder their financial status?

(see the answer keys)

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