![]() |
Name: _________________________ | Period: ___________________ |
This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.
Short Answer Questions
1. In "While It Lasts," what has Bonnie found a "newfound satisfaction" in (81)?
2. In "Café Mort," what is the name of the woman in the white nightgown who claims that she is still alive?
3. In "Boston Common at Twilight," what does Ned remember most from the day of the assault?
4. In "Why I Don't Write," what claim is made about the impact of having children on female writers?
5. In "While It Lasts," what does Bonnie do for a living?
Short Essay Questions
1. In "While It Lasts," how does the knapsack embody George's personality?
2. In "Why I Don't Write," what types of repetition are used in the page 69 paragraph "Cleaning out the closets. Cleaning out the drawers. Clearing out the basement," and what effect does the device create?
3. In "Boston Common at Twilight," why does Ned end up taking an earlier train than usual, and how does this matter to the story's plot?
4. In "Café Mort," why does the narrator say that the stream of advice coming from the patrons is "either instructive or ironic, depending on your perspective" (93)?
5. In the second paragraph of "Why I Don't Write," what is the implication of the list following the phrase "then it all stops" (65)?
6. In "Café Mort," what evidence is there that the narrator is ready to leave her grief behind even before Anita speaks to her?
7. In "While It Lasts," what subject does Isabel keep making bitter jokes about, and why does she do this?
8. In "Boston Common at Twilight," what clues does Minot offer that the woman in the park might be biologically male?
9. In "While It Lasts," why does Bonnie think that George is a particularly good match for her?
10. In "Café Mort," what does her experience at the café teach the narrator about being "lucky" in life?
Essay Topics
Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:
Essay Topic 1
Write an essay in which you analyze the theme of "The Torch." Use textual evidence drawn from more than plot alone to support your claim.
Essay Topic 2
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.
Essay Topic 3
Write an essay that addresses the inclusion of a gender nonconforming character in "Boston Common at Twilight." This is the only such character in the collection: is it troubling that they are a sexual criminal, as well, or is this simply necessary to the plot? Is the story one that needs to be told, or does it have nothing new to say? Is Minot's story successful enough as an artistic endeavor to justify what might otherwise be seen as a choice that reinforces the marginalization of part of the population? If you use outside sources in your essay, be sure to cite them in MLA format.
This section contains 1,128 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) |
![]() |