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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. Who does Connie meet in the drive-in restaurant at night?

2. Why does Mr. Muirhead say he always talks to young men?

3. In The Things They Carried, how does Ted Lavendar die?

4. At dinner, how does Jane introduce herself and Danica to the couple at their table?

5. What does Cody's partner spell in the snow one morning?

Short Essay Questions

1. In the story Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been, who is Arnold French, and how does he strike up a conversation with Connie?

2. How does Casey know Aunt Granny Lith, and what does he do when he sees her again?

3. In Men Under Water, who is the narrator's wife, and how does she feel about him working for Gunther? What does the narrator do for a living?

4. In the story Dog Heaven, who is Sparky Smith and what game does he and the narrator play together?

5. In the story Daddy Garbage, how does Strayhorn discover the baby in the box?

6. In the story Helping, who are Elliot and Grace and what do they do for a living? How are their jobs similar and how are they different?

7. Who does Strayhorn immediately find to help him figure out what to do with the dead baby and why?

8. What inspiration does Gunther in Men Under Water get about his next screenplay after visiting Acid Rain? Who does he find waiting for him at his home when he and the narrator pull up to his house?

9. In the story Murderers, who do the young boys want to see when they climb up onto the water tower, and why?

10. Before she dies, what story does Margaret tell Evie and Lydia that change their lives?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The Fat Girl chronicles the story of a young woman with an eating disorder. How does Louise suffer at the hands of those who wish to help her? Discuss her relationships with her mother, her college roommate, and her husband in your essay.

Essay Topic 2

Based on the plot of the story and the main character, why do you think Scott Bradfield names his story "The Darling"?

Essay Topic 3

How does the author portray nature and the forces of nature in the story Wickedness?

(see the answer keys)

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