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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. Calvin states that he and his wife disagree about which of the following details from the night when they first meet?
(a) The food and the beverages.
(b) The hat and the pipe smoke.
(c) The pipe smoke and the glow.
(d) The hat and the punch bowl.

2. When does Calvin read the obituary of Dick Francis' wife?
(a) A year before Alice dies.
(b) The year Alice is diagnosed with lung cancer.
(c) The year before Alice's bypass surgery.
(d) A year after Alice dies.

3. According to Calvin, what photo of Alice appears on the cover of the program at her memorial service?
(a) A photo of Alice gardening. It is taken when she is in her forties.
(b) A photo of Alice teaching in a classroom. It is taken when she is in her thirties.
(c) A photo of Alice wearing a hat. It is taken when she is in her twenties.
(d) A photo of Alice taken in Italy. It is taken when she is in her fifties.

4. At which institution does Alice teach English in her mid-twenties?
(a) Yale University.
(b) New York University.
(c) Wellesley College.
(d) Hofstra Universtity.

5. What reasons does Calvin give for stating that "Alice doesn't look like who she is"?
(a) Alice is not pampered or snooty, despite the fact that she grows up in an affluent town and attends a prestigious college.
(b) Alice looks like a dietitian, but in actuality she is a talented writer.
(c) Alice is known as the class beauty and most popular cheerleader in high school.
(d) Alice is seriously pampered and snooty in high school.

Short Answer Questions

1. At the end of chapter two, Calvin states that he is reviewing the galleys of a book. What is the book's subject?

2. According to Calvin, what leads to his success in courting Alice?

3. At the end of chapter three, Calvin tells a story about Alice in which she makes an annual trip to which of the following locations?

4. Where does Alice spend her childhood?

5. What is the theme of the poem at the introduction of chapter three?

Short Essay Questions

1. According to Calvin Trillin, Alice's beauty gives her some advantages. Explain.

2. What are some of the adversities Alice faces throughout her life?

3. In what ways are Alice's looks, coupled with the superficial facts about her background, misleading?

4. Chapter three contains two humorous poems about Alice. What theme do they share?

5. In chapter one, the reader learns that there is one condolence letter that makes Calvin Trillin laugh. Why?

6. In chapter three, Calvin Trillin explains that Alice's role as caretaker to her parents has a positive impact on her life. How?

7. What does Alice keep in her Important Things envelope? Why are the things inside it so important to her?

8. Calvin Trillin states that from the day he meets Alice, he never stops trying to impress her. Why?

9. In chapter one, Calvin Trillin states that the stories he writes about his family can be compared what kinds of television shows?

10. In chapter three, why does Alice accept the request to be photographed in a fashion issue of a magazine?

(see the answer keys)

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