Postmodernism is characterized by...

Skepticism and rejection of universal truth

"Stillborn" is about Plath's disappointment with what?

Her poems that never amounted to anything

What is a grotesque character?

A character that makes you feel disgust and sympathy

The rain clouds chasing Tom Shiftlet at the end of the story are ironic because...

He had just prayed to wash away sin from the earth

What is the "straw" in "Straw into Gold"?

Memories of her life and family members

"The Life You Save May Be Your Own" is...

A slogan from the 60s about road safety

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Contemporary American Lit Test Review

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Questions 25

Answers

1
Postmodernism is characterized by...
Short sentences in all writing
Heavy reliance on the media (news)
Skepticism and rejection of universal truth
Believing the author's intent over everything else
2
Well known for their Southern Gothic style of writing...
Amy Tan
Flannery O'Connor
Ray Bradbury
Sandra Cisneros
3
Which of the following is NOT one of the major historical events during the Contemporary period of American literature
The Red Scare
Invention of the internet
A string of cults
WWII
4
What is "death of the author"?
People were skeptical about believing any analysis was certain or true
All of the above
Reader interprets their own meaning from a work & ignores authorial intent
Rejection of universal truth meant no one right interpretation
5
"Stillborn" is about Plath's disappointment with what?
Her divorce with her husband
Her unhappiness since the loss of her father
Her poems that never amounted to anything
The loss of her child described in the poem "You're"
6
"The Life You Save May Be Your Own" presents Tom Shiftlet as
A distorted Christ figure
An angelic savior of Old Mrs. Crater
7
What is a grotesque character?
A nonhuman character
A character that is described as visually repulsive
A character who is selfish and arrogant
A character that makes you feel disgust and sympathy
8
The family in "There Will Come Soft Rains" has been killed by...
A nuclear bomb
A housefire
No one knows. Humans just disappeared
Their robot house
9
What is the motivation of Jing-mei's mother in "Two Kinds?"
Jing-mei wanted to be a prodigy but needing to be pushed to do it
Honor for her father
The skewed American Dream
Nothing; her mother didn't want that for her
10
How did media distort reality?
News sources would report false things because they had specific agendas
Like Jing-mei's mother, people saw skewed reality on TV or in magazines
All of the above!!
Social media shows highlight reels of people's lives
11
What is an anecdote?
None of the above
A short personal life story
A reference to something outside the text
Similar to an extended metaphor. It explains two things through imagery
12
Flannery O'Connor won a posthumous award
True
False
13
Who wrote "Straw into Gold: The Metamorphosis of the Everyday"
Amy Tan
Sylvia Plath
Flannery O'Connor
Sandra Cisneros
14
Author of "Two Kinds"
Sandra Cisneros
Flannery O'Connor
Amy Tan
Ray Bradbury
15
Who wrote "Stillborn"?
Sylvia Plath
Ray Bradbury
Amy Tan
Flannery O'Connor
16
Which of the following is NOT a clue that the speaker is pregnant in "You're"?
The title
A description of the child's position as being feet-up
Each stanza has 9 lines
One line describes the child as being mute from July to April
17
The rain clouds chasing Tom Shiftlet at the end of the story are ironic because...
He tells Old Mrs. Crater a storm will get him if he harms young Lucynell
It is the driest area in the region and hasn't rained for decades
In the beginning of the story he mentions his one weakness is heavy storms
He had just prayed to wash away sin from the earth
18
Who wrote "There Will Come Soft Rains"?
Amy Tan
Sandra Cisneros
Sylvia Plath
Ray Bradbury
19
Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of journalistic writing?
Short, simple sentences
Lots of quotes
Many descriptive words
Only facts
20
Sylvia Plath wrote "You're"
False
True
21
What is the "straw" in "Straw into Gold"?
All the times she recalls failing
Her promising talent as a young student
The lessons she learned in her English class
Memories of her life and family members
22
"The Life You Save May Be Your Own" is...
An advertisement from an old drug store in the 70s
A slogan from the 60s about road safety
A PSA from the Red Cross about general safety
The government's slogan about following all laws from the 80s
23
"There Will Come Soft Rains" takes its title from the poem by ...
Flannery O'Connor
Sylvia Plath
T.S. Eliot
Sara Teasdale
24
Jing-mei's mother read magazines and watched reality TV that skewed her understanding of the American Dream
False
True
25
"There Will Come Soft Rains" is set in...
2026
2023
3226
1926

Contemporary American Lit Test Review Flashcards | StudBud