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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 man take from his sack first when he arrives at the home to find the girl and boy?

2. What is the first item the girl shows interest in as they pass the man's house?

3. How much does the man say he was thinking of asking for the bed?

4. Why does Jack feel uneasy getting on the bed with the girl?

5. Who is the author of "Why Don't You Dance?"?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why do the boy and the girl need furniture?

2. What does the boy do when he first gets to the house and begins looking at the things?

3. How do the boy and girl bargain with the man for the items they ask about? Who seems in charge of the negotiations?

4. Why does the girl tell the boy he should offer $10 less than whatever they are asking?

5. How did people react when they drove by and saw all of the man's things outside his house? What does the man realize he has in common with these people?

6. How does the man first appear on the scene? Where is he coming from and what does he have?

7. What is the boy's name? What is the girl asking the boy to do the one and only time his name is mentioned in the story?

8. Why does the boy pull over when he sees all of the things outside the man's house?

9. What does the boy say he is going to do if anybody is home after he gets off the bed?

10. What two things does the boy do "for no good reason" (2) instead of seeing if anyone is home as he said he would?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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

Essay Topic 2

Examine how the theme of change plays a part in the plot of "Why Don't You Dance?".

Essay Topic 3

Examine the use of dialogue vs the use of description. Look at how each is used in the story and what makes these uses effective or ineffective.

(see the answer keys)

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