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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. Who are the two silent accomplices in "The Lesson"?

2. Why does the author give this story the title "Narcissus"?

3. In the story "Burnout" , where does the Scavenger Fish live?

4. What are the dominoes in a panic about?

5. What replaces the Scavenger Fish in "Burnout"?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does the fish stop working in "Burnout"? What happens to her?

2. Why is the flower in the story "The Wallflower" constantly worried about her looks?

3. Why are the historical figures in "Tradition" worried?

4. What does the line "something might evolve" at the end of "Symbiosis" mean?

5. In the story "The Lesson", what is the significance of the two people holding the wife down being called parents?

6. Why is the woman in "The Magic Ring" heartbroken at the start of the story?

7. What does Edwin H. Friedman suggest leads humans to be chained in the introduction to Part 3?

8. What does Jean learn about Jane in "Jean and Jane" and what is significant about it?

9. What document does Moses sign at the end of "Tradition" and how does he change it?

10. What is the relationship between the husband and wife in "The Lesson"?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What is the significance of a title of your choice? Address how the title relates to the chapter and what the title might mean in the context of the book. How does the title reflect or fail to reflect the moral of the story?

Essay Topic 2

What is the magic ring? This is the only reference to magic in Edwin Friedman's stories. What might this example of magic say about Friedman's beliefs on magic?

Essay Topic 3

What is an interlude and how does the author use this in his book? What point do the characters in the interlude carry over from the first part of the collection to the second part?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 670 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample