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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. In "Occupied," what causes Ivy to suddenly leave the park?

2. In "The Torch," where did the husband first see the woman who would become his wife?

3. On page 36 of "Occupied," which character is said to have "no intention at all"?

4. In "The Torch," the woman's arm is compared in a simile to what object?

5. In "Green Glass," what is Tom's last name?

Short Essay Questions

1. In "Polepole," how do Daisy and "the man" react differently to his hitting the child?

2. 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.

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

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

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

6. In "The Torch," what does the woman remember about being with John?

7. In "Occupied," what is the rhetorical purpose of the many descriptions of individual protestors?

8. In "Green Glass," how does Tom react when he realizes that Fran was once romantically involved with the lawyer at the party?

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Minot uses fragmentation in both "Listen" and "Why I Don't Write." Write an essay that makes and defends a claim about the significance of this technique in these two stories. You might choose to write about similarities, differences, or some combination of the two, as long as your essay clearly makes an argument about both pieces and how fragmentation supports meaning in both.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay that makes and defends a claim about the role that parents play in Minot's collection. Do you think that the role parents play in shaping our personalities, beliefs about the world, and adult capacities is portrayed realistically or unrealistically? Use evidence from at least three stories in the collection to support your ideas.

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay in which you make and defend a claim about the significance of the setting in "Polepole." Use textual evidence to support your ideas; if you use outside sources, be sure to cite them in MLA format.

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