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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. In "What Story Down There Awaits its End?", where are the agents from who give the main character information?

2. In "In a Network of Lines that Intersect," what does the underground want to do with the main character?

3. What is the name of Dona Jazmina's daughter?

4. How does the man in "In a Network of Lines that Intersect" conceal his true self?

5. Where is the woman from that is held in a chair, forced to read?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the story "What Story Down There Awaits Its End?"

2. Describe the way information is given to the reader in Chapter 6.

3. Describe the story in "On the Carpet of Leaves Illuminated by the Moon."

4. Why do scientists have a woman strapped to a chair reading, according to Marana?

5. How are sensations used in the story "On the Carpet of Leaves Illuminated by the Moon"?

6. Describe the shift in perspective that occurs in Chapter 7 and why the author included this.

7. Describe the "invisible I" character.

8. Why does the reader accept the assignment in Chapter 10?

9. Describe the plot of "Around an Empty Grave."

10. Describe the significance of the reader going from innocent to agent.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What is the role of foreshadowing in the novel? What events are foreshadowed? What techniques are used to foreshadow events? What foreshadows the marriage between Ludmilla and the reader? Cite one specific example.

Essay Topic 2

Is reading a personal experience? Why or why not? What evidence in the novel suggests that it is? Cite at least three examples.

Essay Topic 3

Compare and contrast Marana and Flannery. How are these two characters similar and different? How do they have different but similar goals? How are both reflections of the author, Calvino?

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