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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. The Hospital Director's behavior makes him appear to be __________________.
(a) insensitive.
(b) scared.
(c) happy.
(d) anxious.

2. Who does Bird encounter when he leaves the shop?
(a) A priest.
(b) A beggar.
(c) A transvestite.
(d) A mime.

3. How does Bird get to the hospital?
(a) Bus.
(b) Subway.
(c) Cab.
(d) Bicycle.

4. What kind of book is Bird looking at as the novel begins?
(a) Bible.
(b) Photo album.
(c) Atlas.
(d) Text book.

5. What condition does the new baby have?
(a) Spina Bifida.
(b) Brain hernia.
(c) Undeveloped heart.
(d) Asthma.

Short Answer Questions

1. Where did Bird get a job when he left graduate school?

2. Bird hints to the doctor that ______________________.

3. What does Bird learn about his son when he sees him in the hospital?

4. Why can the new baby not have surgery?

5. Who tells Bird about the baby's condition at the other hospital?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. 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?

3. Waking up sick with a hangover, what does Bird think might serve as partial restitution for the baby's dire situation?

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

5. Why did the author give names to only a few of the characters?

6. What advice does Bird's mother-in-law give him regarding visiting his wife?

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

8. What does Bird observe when he visits his father-in-law at the university?

9. Describe the nature of Bird's brief encounter with the transvestite on the street.

10. In what ways could the women at the maternity hospital be symbolized as angels?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 997 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample