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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. When Bird arrives at school, he learns that he has a meeting with _________________ after class.
(a) the Board of Education.
(b) the English Department.
(c) a parent.
(d) the Principal.

2. Bird's mother-in-law tells Bird not to tell his wife the truth about the baby because _____________________.
(a) she will lose her will to live.
(b) she will kill herself.
(c) she will not want to have any more children.
(d) she will release herself before she is ready.

3. Bird is going to make sure the baby has the operation for _____________ sake.
(a) the doctor's.
(b) Bird's.
(c) his wife's.
(d) the baby's.

4. Himiko tells Bird that he must define and isolate ____________________ in order to conquer them.
(a) his feelings of hatred.
(b) his feelings for her.
(c) his feelings of anxiety.
(d) his feelings of fear.

5. What concerns Bird about Himiko's car?
(a) It doesn't have a roof.
(b) The tires are bad.
(c) It has a lot of exhaust.
(d) The battery is dead.

Short Answer Questions

1. How does Bird get to work the next day?

2. Why does Himiko drive Bird to his apartment?

3. The content of the letter Bird received is notifying Bird of a meeting with ______________.

4. What is actually wrong with the baby as discovered by the physicians?

5. When was A PERSONAL MATTER first published?

Short Essay Questions

1. What role does Himiko and her comfort with her own sexuality play in helping Bird in his journey of transformation?

2. What instruction does Bird give the doctor regarding the baby's dwindling condition?

3. In what way has Bird essentially changed universes in his life?

4. What is Delchef's opinion on how Bird is handling the situation regarding the baby?

5. What is the significance of Bird scratching behind his ear after his tiny son does the same thing?

6. What is the content of the letter which Bird received at his job?

7. What temporarily squelches Bird's desire for sex with Himiko?

8. Describe the motif of fear in the book and how Bird transcends it after talking with Kikuhiko.

9. What does Bird feel after his sexual encounter with Himiko?

10. What is the symbolism of Himiko's repeatedly getting lost on the way to the clinic?

(see the answer keys)

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