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| 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 "Café Mort," what were the Russian dancer's dances about when she was alive?
2. In "While It Lasts," whose owns the apartment where the party is held?
3. In "Boston Common at Twilight," where is Ned's family home?
4. In "While It Lasts," why is Bonnie unable to hear the last thing that Mr. Buffy tries to tell her?
5. In "Why I Don't Write," what is the likely source of items like "Sponge. Lemon. Milk" (66)?
Short Essay Questions
1. What question begins "Why I Don't Write," and how is this question related to the rest of the story?
2. 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?
3. 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?
4. In "Café Mort," what does the narrator need to rid herself of before she can leave the café?
5. In "Boston Common at Twilight," what television show does Ned secretly watch? Why does he enjoy it?
6. 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)?
7. In "Café Mort," why would some of the waitresses be "proud" of their jobs (89)?
8. In "While It Lasts," why does Bonnie think that George is a particularly good match for her?
9. On page 73 of "Why I Don't Write," what is the effect of the single word change from "I don't read it anymore" to the later item "I don't read anymore"?
10. 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)?
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
The significance of borders is always in question in Why I Don't Write: characters feel themselves dissolving or dissociate from their bodies, people struggle to keep the past from intruding on the present, and the boundaries between cultures and the living and the dead are not as clear-cut as we might ordinarily think them to be. Write an essay that takes and defends a position about borders in Minot's collection. Use evidence from at least three stories to support your claims.
Essay Topic 3
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.
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This section contains 1,043 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) |
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