Topic Test Answers

In the short story “Rules of the Game” by Amy Tan, what motivates the narrator to excel at chess?

In the short story “Rules of the Game” by Amy Tan, what motivates Lindo Jong to be a model of “invisible strength”?

Which element of plot is important for understanding the theme of a story?

Read the poem below and answer the question that follows. “Horses on the Grass”by Grace Schulman From the tower windowthe moondraws a silver maple’s shadowacross a spangled lawn; horsesrear, manes lashing the air,front legs floating. Half monarch,half shadow, the treeaspires to the sky;one branch, cracked by lightning,scrapes the earth. Reflectedon the grass, bent twigsare curved hooves, gallopingas the moon rises. Divided it standsin wholeness, mourningits victories, praisingthe god of trees, the king of horses. The tree holds soulsin a bark prisonpoised like a runner at the starting line—and bolts free, wildlypawing the ground those roots lie under. Source: Schulman, Grace. “Horses on the Grass.” Days of Wonder: New and Selected Poems. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2002. Poetry Foundation. Web. 25 July 2011. Which statement about the poem is true?

“Tattoo” by Gregg Shapiro is a __________ take on __________.

In order to infer a theme from a story, one must identify the central __________ and its __________.

In the short story “Rules of the Game” by Amy Tan, how does Lindo Jong teach her children lessons?

The theme of a story refers to its __________.

What is theme?

Read the excerpt below from the poem “Little Father” by Li-Young Lee and answer the question that follows. I buried my father in my heart.Now he grows in me, my strange son,my little root who won’t drink milk,little pale foot sunk in unheard-of night,little clock spring newly wetin the fire, little grape, parent to the futurewine, a son the fruit of his own son,little father I ransom with my life. Source: Lee, Li-Young. “Little Father.” Book of My Nights. Rochester: BOA Editions, Ltd., 2001. Poetry Foundation. Web. 25 July 2011. Which structure is used in this excerpt from the poem “Little Father”?

Read the lines below from the poem “Tattoo” by Gregg Shapiro and answer the question that follows. My father won’t talk about the numbers3-7-8-2-5 between the wrist and elbowblue as blood as his left forearm Which technique is used in these excerpted lines?