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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. For what reason, besides that "there may not be enough to tell about him," does the woman think that the man might not be the right "center" for her story (20)?
2. After completing her first draft of the story, what does the woman realize about it?
3. Why are rams' horns being blown all around the city?
4. What does the woman think might be preventing her from committing to a center for her story?
5. What does the woman suspect that the man believes about his blasphemy?
Short Essay Questions
1. Why does the man in the main character's story think that he is dying, and what does he do about it?
2. What paradox related to religion does the woman encounter in writing her story?
3. What does the woman realize about her religious belief and the calm she feels?
4. When the woman is riding the train, after the hurricane has passed, what two realizations does she come to?
5. In the end of "The Center of the Story," what does the woman realize about the emptiness at the center of her story?
6. What happens when the woman visits a Baptist church?
7. What book has the woman been reading, and what story is she specifically interested in?
8. How is the story that the woman is writing similar to the earth and different from a hurricane?
9. Why does the woman watch the news so often, and what does she hear on the news that makes her feel exicted?
10. What contradiction does Davis's first sentence introduce?
Essay Topics
Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:
Essay Topic 1
Write an essay that affirms, refutes, or qualifies the following statement: "The metafictional nature of 'The Center of the Story' means that its author, Lydia Davis, functions as a sort of 'ghost' character who, though never openly discussed, participates in the meaning of the story through its construction." Support your claims with evidence from the text.
Essay Topic 2
Write an essay that makes and defends a claim about the significance of the protagonist's visit to the Baptist church. Support your ideas with evidence from the text.
Essay Topic 3
Write an essay that makes and defends a claim about the significance of things that are absent, missing, or fail to happen in "The Center of the Story." Support your ideas with evidence from the text.
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This section contains 1,012 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) |
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