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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. On page 8 of "Polepole," what does Daisy ask "the man" if he is worried about?

2. In "Polepole," what is Daisy's job?

3. On page 27 of "The Torch," what detail implies that the woman is dying?

4. In "Occupied," what does Ivy think about the protest encampment when she first sees it?

5. In "Polepole," what do the details of "the man's" home tell the reader about him?

Short Essay Questions

1. On page 55 of "Green Glass," what does Fran mean when she says, "Men like to think women aren't sensitive, at convenient times"?

2. On page 36 of "Occupied," what is meant by the assertion that "In her brain there was always a someone"?

3. In "Polepole," Daisy's comment of "I don't even know where I am" (3) has both a literal and a figurative meaning. Explain why this is so.

4. In "Green Glass," what concern does Fran express about Tom's relationship with his ex, and how does Tom respond to her concerns?

5. In "Polepole," what meaning does Daisy assign to the look Cecily gives her at the end of the story?

6. In "Polepole," what is the significance of Bragg's wink when he leaves Daisy to talk with "the man"?

7. In "Occupied," what is the significance of the disinterested expressions on the faces of the protesters at the encampment?

8. In "Green Glass," what causes Tom's ex to slap him, and what is his response to the incident?

9. In "Occupied," how does Ivy feel about her friends' advice about Dexter?

10. In "Occupied," where does Ivy stop on the way home from work, and why does she stop there?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay that analyzes the function of Isabel's character in "While It Lasts." What kind of a person is she? How does she impact Bonnie and George? What does she add to the reader's experience, and why is she included in the story? Support your claims with textual evidence.

Essay Topic 2

Several of the stories in the collection Why I Write feature women who feel as if they are in an altered state--hypnotic, dreaming, and so on--when they are with certain men. Write an essay that traces this thematic motif through at least three of the stories; explain how it is developed and what its significance is. Support your claims with textual evidence.

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay in which you make and defend a claim about the "plant" names "Ivy" and "Daisy" in "Occupied" and "Polepole." Why are both women given "plant" names? In what way do the two names differ, and how does this highlight differences in the two characters? Support your ideas with evidence from the text.

(see the answer keys)

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