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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 did Michael remember hearing as a child from the open window in his room?

2. In Rock Springs, what is the narrator's daughter's name?

3. Why is the couple in A Romantic Weekend going away for the weekend?

4. In the story A Romantic Weekend, where is the couple in the story going for the weekend?

5. After the accident, where does Ad Magic encounter the white horse?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does the woman in The Darling meet Lenny?

2. What story does Edna tell the narrator of Rock Springs about her pet, a monkey?

3. Who is Petra in Ann Beattie's story "A Vintage Thunderbird"?

4. Who is Hattie Benedict in Wickedness, and how does she survive the blizzard?

5. What are some of the things the speaker in Girl encourages the young girl to learn how to do in the home?

6. Who are the main characters in River of Names, and how are they different from each other?

7. How does Dzia-Dzia describe Chopin's death?

8. Who does the mother in the story The First Day ask the woman at Walker Jones School and why?

9. In the story Minor Heroism, who is Bryan, and what about him bothers his father?

10. In the story All the Way in Flagstaff, Arizona, what does Walter keep hidden in the wheel well of the spare tire in the car? Why?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In his Introduction, Tobias Wolff quotes Kafka as saying literature is like an axe with which to break "the frozen sea within us." What did Kafka mean by this? What two stories in the collection had this affect on you and why?

Essay Topic 2

In the story Dog Heaven, the author has created two children and a dog who live in a work of adults involved in the military. The narrator therefore focuses the story on the elements of childhood most recognized by people growing up. Discuss three of those elements and how they help the reader to relate to the story and to the narrator as a child.

Essay Topic 3

In her short story, Tan describes "invisible strength." How does MeiMei interpret the concept of invisible strength? What does she accomplish using this concept? What other female in another story uses what could be called invisible strength and how is it similar to MeiMei's?

(see the answer keys)

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