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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. A man in his forties confessed to Viorst that he reviewed his life insurance policy after he was diagnosed with what?
(a) Gout.
(b) Tennis elbow.
(c) Cancer.
(d) Heart disease.

2. Viorst quotes this book, written by Kathrin Perutz, in Chapter 13.
(a) I Hate You, Too.
(b) Heaven on Earth.
(c) Marriage is Hell.
(d) The Most Complicated Relationship.

3. According to Viorst, the different roles we assign ourselves keep life interesting and fluid, rather than _____________.
(a) Constricting.
(b) Unpredictable.
(c) Topsy-turvy.
(d) Boring.

4. How did Cecil and Julia Saunders die?
(a) They died in a car accident.
(b) Someone broke into their house and killed them.
(c) They shot themselves.
(d) Their plane crashed on the way to their granddaughter's wedding.

5. According to Lillian Rubin, the sexual difference between men and women leads to what in a marriage relationship?
(a) Separation and divorce.
(b) Superficial friendship.
(c) Intimate strangers.
(d) A perfect partnership.

6. Which famous family does Viorst mention in Chapter 15?
(a) The Kennedys.
(b) The Carnegies.
(c) The Vanderbilts.
(d) The Windsors.

7. Intimate male-female relationships are rare because of what?
(a) The adultery factor.
(b) Women would just rather talk to other women.
(c) The sexual tension.
(d) Socially unacceptable norms.

8. What is the key achievement of mid-life according to Viorst?
(a) Moving our parents to a nursing home.
(b) Getting the children out of the house.
(c) Uniting ourselves with reality and achieving balance.
(d) Letting loose and exploring unfulfilled dreams.

9. The earliest text on the subject of aging came from where?
(a) China.
(b) Iraq.
(c) Greece.
(d) Egypt.

10. Men pursue ______________; women yearn for _______________.
(a) Sex; cuddling.
(b) Deep relationships; one night stands.
(c) Excitement; safety.
(d) Autonomy; intimacy.

11. Parents have trouble seeing their children as what?
(a) Anything but perfect.
(b) Competent humans.
(c) A part of themselves.
(d) Separate people.

12. A capacity to feel pleasure in the pleasures of other people is an example of what?
(a) Pleasure transfer.
(b) Ego transcendence.
(c) Self-awareness.
(d) Empathy.

13. Which philosopher does Viorst quote in Chapter 14?
(a) Soren Kierkegaard
(b) Friedrich Nietzsche
(c) Leo Tolstoy
(d) Karl Marx

14. What was the name of the married woman with four children, mentioned in Chapter 12, who formed a non-sexual friendship with another man?
(a) Elizabeth.
(b) Lucy.
(c) Dorothy.
(d) Evelyn.

15. There are what number of friendships that Viorst labels in Chapter 12?
(a) Two.
(b) Fifteen.
(c) Twelve.
(d) Six.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does this line from a poem by Longfellow tell us about old age? "Goethe at Weimar, toiling to the last, Completed Faust when eighty years were past."

2. According to Viorst, "A new dream will arise when we begin to have our babies..." What is it?

3. Who was the psychologist who said that marriage requires "a wise balancing of love and hate"?

4. Friends and intimate partners are considered what?

5. According to Viorst, what types of feelings are present in ALL friendships?

(see the answer keys)

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