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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 one thing the guest in Room 213 leaves behind in an otherwise clean room?

2. What things did Marie have stolen from her by coworkers over the years?

3. What is one thing Marie is no longer bothered by seeing after many years of working in the same industry?

4. What is the main character's religion in "Clean, Cleaner, Cleanest"?

5. Who is the author of "Clean, Cleaner, Cleanest"?

Short Essay Questions

1. What "self-defense behavior" (1) does Marie enact before entering a room and why?

2. Who is Olga? Why did she leave the motel?

3. What state is Room 213, the first room Marie cleans in the story? What is in it that she dislikes?

4. What are some of the tragic things that had happened in the motel during Marie's time working there?

5. What is meant by "the illusion of clean" (3) in regards to Marie's work?

6. Who is Christine? How does Marie feel about her life when they run into each other at a mall?

7. What are some of the things Marie has grown accustomed to seeing and having to clean in her line of work?

8. Why did Marie convince the former motel owner to put wooden platforms under the motel room beds?

9. Why did Evie and Marie lose touch? What was the last correspondence the two had?

10. Who is the main character of "Clean, Cleaner, Cleanest"? Where is her occupation? How long has she been there?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Away from the main character examine the way the author uses the other characters in the book. When does he introduce and take them away from the story? What effect does it have on the story?

Essay Topic 2

Why do you think Sherman Alexie wrote "Clean, Cleaner, Cleanest"? Write an essay explaining what you think the author wanted his readers to understand and feel after reading the story.

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay examining Evie's postcard as a symbol in "Clean, Cleaner, Cleanest." In what scenes does the postcard appear? What is the context? How does the postcard develop the narrative?

(see the answer keys)

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