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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. The author's mother was a hard worker but there was something she couldn't do. What was that one thing?
(a) Do basic math.
(b) Read English.
(c) Read at all.
(d) Work the victrola.

2. What did the author's mother do out of loneliness every evening?
(a) She would cry silently at the sink while she washed dishes.
(b) She would read from her parent's memoirs.
(c) She would cry silently at her sewing machine.
(d) She would stare out at the street.

3. What instrument did the author play as a child?
(a) The clarinet.
(b) The violin.
(c) The trumpet.
(d) The piano.

4. How did the Jews greet the Sabbath?
(a) "As a newborn babe."
(b) "As a ghost."
(c) "As a bride."
(d) "As a groom."

5. When was the author's "great moment" of the Sabbath?
(a) When it was over.
(b) When his mother placed the challah on the table.
(c) When the prayers were being said.
(d) When his father came home.

6. How did the author's parents feel of his generation?
(a) They were foolish.
(b) They were free.
(c) They were careless.
(d) They were too frivolous.

7. What did the team receive if they won the competition between the "Army Navy" tests the civics teacher gave?
(a) A gold star.
(b) An automatic passing grade on a test.
(c) A free pass to the bathroom.
(d) A blue star.

8. What does the author connect New York rush hour with from his childhood?
(a) The hour the town slept.
(b) The hour that moved the slowest.
(c) The hour before supper.
(d) The hour the women worked frantically.

9. Where did the author think he lived as a child?
(a) The place most suited to his family.
(b) The most lonely place in the world.
(c) The end of the world.
(d) The best place a child could grow up.

10. The author's childhood school is still standing in the neighborhood, how does the school feel to the author?
(a) Like a hospital.
(b) Cold and damp.
(c) Like a castle.
(d) Like home.

11. What belief about Jews did the author grow up with?
(a) That they were destined to be bankers.
(b) That they were destined to marry only out of duty.
(c) That they were destined to be propertyless workers.
(d) That they were destined to be leaders of the country.

12. What was the author's favorite delight in all seasons?
(a) Food from the delicatessen.
(b) Popcorn from the Coney Island dives.
(c) Caramels from the candy store.
(d) Roasted apples from the Jewish vendor.

13. What was the author's favorite school experience?
(a) Saying the pledge of allegiance daily.
(b) Visiting the assembly hall.
(c) Walking past the girls' bathroom.
(d) His weekly visits with the speech pathologist.

14. What emotion does the author speak of in great length in Section 3?
(a) Pain.
(b) Love.
(c) Fear.
(d) Joy.

15. What nickname does the author give the second street?
(a) The "show street."
(b) The "slow street."
(c) The "short street."
(d) The "sweet street."

Short Answer Questions

1. What were the author's lasting feelings about his school years?

2. What did the author spend his school days staring at in fear and anxiety?

3. What nickname did the author's father give him?

4. What was the author listening to when he last saw his childhood kitchen?

5. How did the author secretly think of the synagogue?

(see the answer keys)

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