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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. Which of the following examples is NOT a way that Push attempts to show dominance over John Williams?

2. Why does Noel pick a fight with Daniel in the story, "The Amish Farmer"?

3. How does Willi react when he hears his father beating his mother at night?

4. Which of the following best describes the genre of the stories the editors chose for this collection?

5. Which of the following aspects of his children's lives does Sean obsessively worry about?

Short Essay Questions

1. What reaction does the narrator have when watching Sonny play his music in the story "Sonny's Blues"?

2. What does Sonny blame his heroin addiction on?

3. What memory does Sean have of his father from when he was a 6 year old boy in the story "Midair"?

4. What arrangement is struck-up between the three destitute characters in the story "1/3, 1/3, 1/3"?

5. What type of relationship does Louise have with her mother in the story "The Fat Girl"?

6. What unfortunate site does Willi witness in the story of the same name, and how does the young boy react to what he's seen?

7. What type of relationship does George have with his ex-students?

8. Why doesn't Push like John Williams, and what does he do about it?

9. Why does Lenore comfort George at the end of the story "Weekend"?

10. Why does Vance tell the story of "The Amish Farmer" to his high school English class?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In "The Story of a Scar," the young man listening to the older woman's story constantly heckles the story and judges the woman before its completion. Choose at least two examples of moments in which the young man judged the older woman. What assumptions did he make about her before she had finished her story? Did his assumptions turn out to be true? Explain why or why not. Finally, describe how the young man reacted when the older woman's story was complete. Had his opinion of the woman changed or did it remain the same? Be sure to include examples from the text that you believe help to strengthen your arguments.

Essay Topic 2

In the story "Redemption," Dale and Jack deal with David's death in different ways. Describe what the relationship between these two characters was like before David's death and compare it to what their relationship is like after David's death. How did each of these men cope with their loss? Explain how Jack eventually found "redemption" for his emotions. How did this sense of redemption affect his relationship with Dale? Be sure to include examples from the text that you believe strengthen your arguments.

Essay Topic 3

"Letters from the Samantha" tells the tale of a sea captain and his relationship with a giant ape. First, describe how the sea captain first came in contact with the giant ape and what his first response of the animal was. Then, explain why the captain's opinion of the giant ape suddenly changed? How did the relationship between the captain and the ape finally end? Which individual proved to have more menacing animal instincts? How can you tell? Be sure to include examples from the text that you believe strengthen your arguments.

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