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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What phrase is an example a sentence never uttered by the speaker or any member of the speaker's family?
(a) My life is full of pain, and it's not your fault, but I'm so sad.
(b) My heart is no good, and I'm afraid of dying, and I'm also afraid of saying I love you.
(c) I don't want you in my life, but that does not mean I don't care.
(d) I don't know how to have a relationship with you, but I know I love you.

2. What did the narrator's father realize after his first fight with his wife?
(a) She will always win.
(b) He loved a good fight.
(c) It's never, ever worth it.
(d) Only fight if you can win.

3. Why does the speaker think he has become a yes man?
(a) He is afraid of dying.
(b) He has low self-esteem.
(c) He likes to make people happy.
(d) He likes to keep busy.

4. How is this sentence spoken by the speaker's mother changed when the back up is used: "It pains me to think of you alone" (7).
(a) It pains me to think you may never understand how much I love you.
(b) It pains me to think of me without any grandchildren to love.
(c) It pains me to think you will not have anyone to take care of you in old age.
(d) It pains me to think you will never know a child's love.

5. Why did the speaker's brother go to the university health center a few weeks ago?
(a) He was having chest pains.
(b) He had a high fever for several days.
(c) He suffered panic attacks.
(d) He was depressed.

6. What does the speaker say low points tend to do in his communication with family?
(a) Make things worse.
(b) Confuse the situation.
(c) Make things better.
(d) Not change anything.

7. What is the subject of the discussion the speaker uses to exemplify use of the low point?
(a) His inability to community with candor.
(b) His depression.
(c) His lack of a girlfriend.
(d) His lack of a good job.

8. What symbol represents the "backup"?
(a) An upside down arrow.
(b) A left arrow.
(c) An upright arrow.
(d) A right arrow.

9. Which member of the speaker's family do you attribute this sentence to: "I didn't die in the Holocaust, but all of my siblings did, so where does that leave me" (5)?
(a) His great-aunt.
(b) His grandmother.
(c) His father
(d) His mother.

10. What does the father say in should have brackets to Jonathan about his dreams during the final conversation in the story?
(a) His father was really pulling weeds from his brother's chest.
(b) Jonathan was laughing as he pulled weeds from his chest.
(c) Jonathan was the one pulling weeds from his chest.
(d) Jonathan's mother was crying while pulling weeds from his chest.

11. What symbol represents "the low point" in the speaker's familial communication?
(a) An X.
(b) A thumbs down emoji.
(c) The upside down arrow.
(d) The sad face.

12. What are some things the speaker might be doing when he imagines his family's versions of the should-haves?
(a) Shopping or doing his taxes.
(b) Having sex or driving.
(c) Taking a walk or a shower.
(d) Reading a book or making dinner.

13. What recurring dreams did the speaker's father have?
(a) Playing on the Orioles.
(b) Pulling weeds from his chest.
(c) Running for president.
(d) Hiding from Nazis.

14. What example does the speaker use as a familial conversation in which one party understands the words but not the meaning?
(a) When his grandmother told him she hopes he never loves anyone as much as she loves him.
(b) When his father told him his brother had become a yes man.
(c) When his mother told him it pained her to think of him alone.
(d) When his brother told him he had been having a heart attack for six years.

15. What is the purpose of the backup?
(a) It is used to replay a sentence and discover what might have been missed.
(b) It is used to erase what you said and rephrase.
(c) It is used to restart a conversation when you were too distracted to listen.
(d) It is used to repeat what you said so the person to whom you are speaking can understand.

Short Answer Questions

1. What sentence is NOT used as an example of when the reversible colon is appropriate?

2. Which of his family members does the speaker say he loved more than he loved himself?

3. What did the speaker call his brother and say after finding out he was in intensive care?

4. What phrase can the low point replace?

5. When is the reversible colon used?

(see the answer keys)

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