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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 carved the narrator's writing desk?

2. What subjects did the narrator teach?

3. Who does the narrator call at the end of Chapter 2?

4. What page of the newspaper did the narrator's column move to after his ruined wedding?

5. The narrator's home is on the sunny side of what park?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the narrator's first experience like with the girl?

2. What happens when the narrator is the honored guest at a concert? What does he remember most from the evening?

3. Why does the narrator not consummate his first visit with the girl?

4. What evidence does the narrator give of his healthy sex life?

5. What kind of gifts does the narrator get from the newspaper staff for his birthday?

6. What is the narrator's economic situation?

7. How would the narrator court his fiancé?

8. What evidence does the narrator give of how he is aging?

9. What does the narrator decide to give himself for a birthday gift?

10. What is the narrator's experience like when he goes to the animal shelter to pick up his cat?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What is ironic about the narrator's ninetieth year? How does the author draw on this irony to illustrate a greater truth?

Essay Topic 2

How do the cultural and historical aspects of the setting impact the narrative? How do they impact the themes of morality and love?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the theme of sexual morality and how it resonates throughout the book. Define theme in your discussion and support your statements with examples and quotes.

(see the answer keys)

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