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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What did Bird do the summer after he got married?
(a) Traveled to Africa.
(b) Built a house.
(c) Took French lessons.
(d) Stayed drunk for four weeks.

2. What does Bird think about as he is on his way to visit the person in #54?
(a) The nature of his baby's life.
(b) Getting a new job.
(c) Sending flowers to his wife.
(d) Running away to Africa.

3. What had happened to Himiko's husband?
(a) He was killed in a war.
(b) He died of cancer.
(c) He left her for another woman.
(d) He committed suicide.

4. How is Bird positioned for his new roles in life?
(a) Happy.
(b) Ill-equipped.
(c) Anxious.
(d) Exuberant.

5. How old is Bird?
(a) 25.
(b) 29.
(c) 18.
(d) 31.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Bird tell Himiko?

2. Bird hints to the doctor that ______________________.

3. How does Bird feel about responsibility for his child?

4. Himiko can best be described as __________________.

5. What does the person in #54 give Bird before he leaves?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the significance of Himiko's character in the story?

2. What do the giggling doctor and the one-eyed doctor symbolize in the story?

3. Where does Bird go after leaving his father-in-law's office?

4. What is the significance of the two men who come to Himiko's home?

5. What does Bird think about after he leaves the shop and how does he avoid learning about the birth of his child?

6. What does Bird notice about the women watching from the windows of the maternity hospital?

7. At what stage is Bird in his journey of personal transformation at this point?

8. How does Bird learn that his child has a problem?

9. What is Bird doing at the beginning of A PERSONAL MATTER? What is going on with Bird's wife and how does Bird think his life will soon change?

10. How is Bird's encounter with the gang a boost to his flailing ego?

(see the answer keys)

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