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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. What are the people like in the upper floors of the skyscraper in The Falling Girl?

2. The teammates in Death of the Right Fielder suspect the player either tripped or what?

3. What rises in the water at the end of On Hope?

4. What does Freddie explain her biological father is in An Insolvable Problem of Genetics?

5. From what country does the story Gregory come?

Short Essay Questions

1. What do the boy and his father go to do after getting his new cap in Blackberries? What does this lead to?

2. What is the setting of The Falling Girl? Who is the central character and what action does she take in the beginning of the story?

3. How does the dentist get revenge in One of These Days? For what does he enact vengeance?

4. Who is the narrator in An Insolvable Problem of Genetics? What information does the family learn from Freddie?

5. What is the central plot in The Elephant? Why does the protagonist choose to build an inflatable elephant?

6. Describe the time span and theme in The Blue Jar?

7. What is the taboo subject central in the story The Boy? How does the narrative play out?

8. What is the girl given in The Grasshopper and the Bell Cricket? Why is she excited?

9. What event has taken place in the beginning of Death of the Right Fielder? What actions do the characters take?

10. Describe the structure of Welcoming the Board of Directors. How does the author use metaphor in the narrative?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe the plot, characters and narrative style of One of These Days. How does this story differ from Marquez's more well-known works? What political themes are evident in the narrative?

Essay Topic 2

Compare the works Welcoming the Board of Directors and The Boy. How is the narrative voice in the stories different? What differences exist in the stories' tones? How is the teacher in The Boy reflective of Oates feminist perspective?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the themes and perspectives presented in Girl and The Other Wife. What elements of feminism can be seen in the themes of these works? How is this reflected in other writings by the authors?

(see the answer keys)

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