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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. Where is the narrator when she sees her ex-husband at the start of "Wants"?

2. Why does Dotty opt to go on the trip alone in "The Contest"?

3. What is the occupation of the narrator in "Debts"?

4. What did Ellen's doctor tell her, though she swears it is untrue?

5. Who is the narrator of "An Irrevocable Diameter"?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Dotty manage the contest prize money and trip?

2. Describe John and his mother Dolly's relationship in "Distance." What details show you what their relationship is like?

3. Who is Josie in "A Woman, Young and Old"? How old is she? How does she behave around Browny?

4. In "An Irrevocable Diameter," what deal does Charles make with Cindy's family in exchange for withdrawing charges? What is their life like after?

5. How does Eddie help the narrator find a job in "The Floating Truth"? Why does she become upset about work at the end?

6. Describe the setting in "The Used Boy Raisers." Where does the story take place? Who is there? What is the relationship between characters?

7. Describe the young boys from "Gloomy Tune."

8. What does the narrator's husband recall fondly from their marriage in "Wants"? How does the narrator's memory of this differ?

9. What is Anna's story in "Debts"?

10. Why is Peter upset with Anna at the end of "The Pale Pink"? What does she say, which lifts his spirits?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Examine the use of dialogue versus the use of description. Write an essay about how each is used in Paley's stories.

Essay Topic 2

Pick a character from one story and discuss their goals and motives. Do they achieve their motive? Do they share similar goals and motives with other characters? Do their goals clash with other characters? How do the characters' goals and motives affect their interaction with each other?

Essay Topic 3

Choose one story and discuss elements of the narrative structure: Exposition, conflict, complication, climax, resolution and conclusion. Do all the elements make for a logical and linear story? How does the story's structure express the story's themes?

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