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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 is the "Diamonds" narrator hiding with his long sleeves?

2. On page 175, what does the "Diamonds" narrator say appeals to him about Siobhán Maher?

3. Which word best describes the uncles' house?

4. On page 195, how does Eli characterize his marriage to Maryanne?

5. Dympna is convinced that Hector is "working the slow grift" on the woman in Ballintober (98). What does this mean he thinks Hector is doing?

Short Essay Questions

1. What made Eli and Maryanne's marriage a disaster?

2. What does Arm think, in retrospect, about the events at the uncles' farm?

3. What happened on the band's tour that caused Doran to leave the band?

4. Who is Siobhán Maher, and how does she recognize the narrator of "Diamonds"?

5. How do Eli, Doran, and Maryanne know one another?

6. What is Rebecca's opinion of Arm after their conversation at Quillinan's?

7. In the years since their band broke up, how have Eli and Doran's lives differed?

8. When Arm runs into Fannigan on his walk on the night that Brandon's band plays at Quillinan's, what does Arm do to Fannigan?

9. Where does Arm head first after he leaves the uncles' farm, and what does he do once he gets there?

10. When Arm finally gets what he wants from Maire Mirkin, what is ironic about the situation?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay that makes and defends a claim about the significance of Dukic's character in "Kindly Forget My Existence." Think carefully about where he is, what he does, what he says, and how he looks as you consider what he might represent or how his character functions relative to the story's main characters. Use textual evidence to support your ideas.

Essay Topic 2

The first five pieces in the anthology center on characters who have chosen to stay in Glanbeigh. The Last two focus on characters who have chosen to leave, but who end up coming home, at least temporarily, when they run into trouble in the wider world. Write an essay that makes and defends a claim about the thematic idea being advanced by this structure. Use evidence from at least two stories in the first section of the book and evidence from both of the stories in the latter section as you defend your claim.

Essay Topic 3

Loyalty to and support of family is an important cultural value in rural Ireland. But in Young Skins, not all "family" is biological. Write an essay that compares and contrasts the "found families" and the "biological families" in the anthology and makes a claim about the thematic significance of the similarities and differences between them. Use evidence from throughout the anthology to defend your ideas.

(see the answer keys)

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