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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. How old is the boy in the story, Down at the Dinghy?

2. Why is Le Amis Des Vieux Maitres closed down?

3. What is one of Joanie's best traits?

4. Why does Arthur say his marriage isn't working?

5. How much does the job the narrator applied for under the name, Jean de Daumier-Smith, pay?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Esme's long and complicated letter soothe the narrator more than one from his family?

2. Why is it ironic that the school closes down for not having a business license?

3. Why does the tea room likely suit the narrator as a place to spend his last few hours in the town rather than the Red Cross recreation room?

4. Why does Arthur want to move to Connecticut?

5. What happens to the narrator after he leaves the training course?

6. Why does Arthur call Lee in the first place of Pretty Mouth and Green my Eyes?

7. How does the story, Down at the Dinghy, end?

8. Describe the narrator in For Esme -- with Love and Squalor.

9. Why is the narrator so taken by Esme?

10. Why does Sister Irma withdraw from classes at the art school?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss Salinger's use of sudden and tragic endings to some of his short stories. What do you like about them? What do you dislike about them? How do they contribute or take away from the collection as a whole and each story specifically? Do you think it is a powerful way to end the stories? Why or why not? Use examples from the book to explain your answers.

Essay Topic 2

Compare and contrast Lionel and Teddy. What does each character have in common? What makes them different? Analyze their challenges with family, beliefs and events.

Essay Topic 3

Mental illness because of WWII trauma is an issue brought up in more than one story in the Nine Stories collection. Why do you think this is such a prevalent topic Salinger uses? Talk about the importance of this topic in the collection. Pay special attention to the time in which the book is released. Why does this have been a controversial collection of stories because of the mental illness component?

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