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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 happens to participants in the festival in the story "Returning"?

2. What happens to the flowers Marie brings from the passageway to her office in "Office Hours"?

3. What name does the narrator use for her husband in the end of "Returning"?

4. Who always speaks first in the narrator's writing class in "Peking Duck"?

5. What does the flight attendant tell the narrator there is the same word for that has two meanings in "Returning"?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is one student's criticism of the narrator's story about the nanny in "Peking Duck"?

2. In "Returning," what does the narrator realize when she wakes up on the plane?

3. How does the narrator in "Returning" feel at her college reunion?

4. What is the danger of the "Morning Ritual" in "Returning"?

5. What does Peter tell the narrator he believes in when they get engaged in "Returning"?

6. What is the narrator's relationship with Y like in "Returning"?

7. How does the narrator eventually get out of the airport in "Returning"?

8. What tradition do the narrator and Peter go to Garboza for in "Returning"?

9. Why does the narrator panic a bit at the end of "Returning"?

10. What is Peter's novel, Homecoming, about?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay exploring Ma's tone and style throughout Bliss Montage.

Essay Topic 2

Why do you think Ma chose the title "Bliss Montage" for this collection? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 3

What are some examples of the ways Ma employs magical realism throughout this collection? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

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This section contains 542 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample