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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 does the narrator find in the drawer of her father's night table in the story "I Am Asleep but My Heart Is Awake"?

2. Whose clothes does Brodman wear to his grandchild's bris?

3. Who is Noa's boyfriend for a time before she breaks up with him?

4. What event in Brodman's life led to a period of depression for him?

5. Which daughter of Brodman's has a significant life event while he is in a coma?

Short Essay Questions

1. What conclusion does the narrator in the story "I Am Asleep but My Heart is Awake" come to about her father's feelings for New York and Tel Aviv?

2. What is one major aspect of Leonard's and Monica's divorce that bothers Noa in the story "End Days?"

3. What difference of opinion do Noa and her sister Rachel have about Leonard's and Monica's divorce?

4. Why does Brodman take his infant grandson to the roof at the end of the story?

5. What does the narrator seem to gather about Boaz's trip that she follows him on in the story "I Am Asleep but My Heart is Awake"?

6. When does the narrator of "Switzerland" start to realize Soraya might actually be in real danger?

7. Why is the narrator of "Switzerland" so transfixed by Soraya?

8. What is one major thing that surprises the narrator in the story "I Am Asleep but My Heart is Awake" after her father's death?

9. How and to whom does Noa lose her virginity?

10. What is the narrator's strange dream in the beginning of the story "I Am Asleep but My Heart is Awake"?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What ideas or emotions is Krauss trying to communicate with the unnamed narrator's and her friend Romi's strong feelings and experiences linked to the famous actor Ershaid, and their "encounters" with him, in the story "Seeing Ershadi"? Write an essay explaining your answers.

Essay Topic 2

In several stories in the collection, Krauss introduces newborn infants into characters' lives and family situations. Write an essay analyzing Krauss's use of infants and newborns as plot devices and/or foils, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 3

How would you describe the unnamed narrator's strongest feelings, fears, and desires regarding her two young sons in the story "To Be a Man"? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

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