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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 9 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. How do the women who visit Hadley feel about their lot as unlicensed women?

2. How old is the baby Hadley borrows from the library?

3. Who believes that the nannies love their job more than Seraphina loved being a mother?

4. What does Seraphina do after reading the email from one of the nannies?

5. What does the voice on the other side of Hadley's door say after Hadley does not answer to the knocking?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Seraphina discover her nannies are gone and how does she react?

2. Who comes to Hadley's apartment after she arrives with Gemma and where are they from?

3. Why does Hadley consider running away with Gemma when she takes her from the library?

4. What does one of the woman who comes to Hadley's apartment say to Hadley when she says that borrowing a baby is not a crime?

5. Describe Hadley's experience at the library when she looks for a baby to borrow.

6. How does Seraphina feel about her life as a mother?

7. How does borrowing a baby make Hadley feel about her lot in life?

8. How does Paul behave around Seraphina?

9. Why do the women who come to Hadley's apartment say they think she is one of them?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay analyzing the symbolic significance Hadley's family's religion has on the story. Why is this important and how does it develop the themes of the story? What would be different if his family were not religious or practiced a different religion? Use examples from the text to support your viewpoint.

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Essay Topic 2

Write an essay examining the ending of "Graceful Burdens." How did the ending fit into the storyline? Do you think the ending was effective? What theme might the ending represent? What might the author have done differently?

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay exploring the significance the lending library has on the story "Graceful Burdens." Why do you think the author, Roxane Gay, chose this to support the story's themes? What other ways could the themes of gender and control be portrayed in this type of story?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 669 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample