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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. Who does Bird see standing at the windows of the hospital?
(a) Pregnant women.
(b) Nurses.
(c) Physicians.
(d) Visitors.

2. Who is Himiko?
(a) Bird's wife.
(b) Bird's former girlfriend.
(c) Bird's sister.
(d) Bird's mother.

3. The older man who comes to Himiko's is a/an ___________________.
(a) neighbor.
(b) professor.
(c) abortion doctor.
(d) lover.

4. Who tells Bird about the baby's condition at the other hospital?
(a) The head of Neurology.
(b) The pediatrician.
(c) The glass-eyed doctor.
(d) The head nurse.

5. When Bird catches a glimpse of Himiko's naked body, he ___________________________.
(a) is embarrassed.
(b) thinks she is like a statue.
(c) feels sexual excitement.
(d) feels his juvenile disgust with nudity.

Short Answer Questions

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

2. What kind of book is Bird looking at as the novel begins?

3. Bird compares the baby's situation to ______________________.

4. What does the person in #52 tell Bird?

5. Himiko can best be described as __________________.

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What does Bird learn about the child's birth when he calls his mother-in-law?

3. What is ironic about Bird's using sex to avoid responsibility?

4. What is important foreshadowing regarding the tests of strength and Bird's encounter with the gang?

5. Describe the altercation Bird has with a student in his class after Bird vomits.

6. How does the doctor exhibit insensitivity toward Bird about the baby on the way to the hospital?

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

8. 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?

9. What does Bird's father-in-law give to Bird during the visit and why is this an unlikely offering given Bird's troubles with addiction?

10. What does the glass-eyed doctor tell Bird they will know more about the baby's condition?

(see the answer keys)

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