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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 one of Savvie's boyfriend's annoying habits?

2. What kind of car does William Livingston III drive?

3. Why does Sarah say she will not go to the police after William Livingston III comes to her apartment?

4. What does a crazy woman eat in the story "Difficult Women"?

5. What is Bianca's husband's name?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Sal do to Caridad in the story "Florida" that upsets and offends Caridad?

2. What does Kate's elderly landlady tell her in the story "North Country" when she meets her for the first time?

3. Why does Magnus get angry with Kate and ignore her calls for weeks?

4. Why is Alvarez hesitant to get more involved with Sarah in "La Negra Blanca," even though he adores her?

5. Why does Carolina tell Savvie she decided to marry Darryl?

6. Why does Sarah let everyone assume she is white in the story "La Negra Blanca"?

7. Why does Bianca agree to go out with Dean and initially start a relationship with him?

8. Why is the ceiling at Bianca's office moldy and rotted in "Water, All Its Weight"?

9. What is the background of the narrator's boyfriend, Gus, bringing her plastic body parts in the story "Baby Arm"?

10. When does the narrator begin to think that Cassie, Jacob's girlfriend, may be smarter than she seems?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay analyzing why the stone-thrower's wife, the unnamed glass woman, decides not to confront the stone-thrower about his ongoing affair with his mistress. Cite specific references from the story to support your answer.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay analyzing the tone Gay strikes in the story "I am a Knife." In this story, the narrator has suffered the traumatic loss of a baby and is later called upon to help save her twin sister's baby during childbirth, and there is a moment when it is unclear whether the narrator is worthy of the trust her twin sister places in her as the narrator holds her life in her hands. Cite specific references to the text in explaining your answer.

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay analyzing the metaphors Gay uses in the story "The Sacrifice of Darkness" to explain the desperation and subjugation of the working classes. Cite specific references from the text in your answer.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 843 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample