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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 pipe smoke and the glow.
(b) The hat and the pipe smoke.
(c) The food and the beverages.
(d) The hat and the punch bowl.

2. What is Alice's maiden name?
(a) Monocle.
(b) Francis.
(c) Stewart.
(d) Willkins.

3. What is the name of the magazine that hosts the party where Calvin first meets Alice?
(a) The New Yorker.
(b) Times Magazine.
(c) Life.
(d) Monocle.

4. 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?
(a) A summer home in Nova Scotia.
(b) A brownstone in Greenwich Village.
(c) Her best friend's grave.
(d) A plant nursery in New Jersey.

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

Short Answer Questions

1. According to Calvin, what photo of Alice appears on the cover of the program at her memorial service?

2. Where does Alice's father first meet Alice's mother?

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

4. In chapter three, Calvin includes a quote from a friend of Alice who speaks at her memorial service. Who is this person?

5. What is the headline for Alice's obituary in the Times?

Short Essay Questions

1. In chapter one, Trillin reveals that although his readers become familiar with Alice as a sensible, somewhat serious character in his books and articles, they never really know her. Why?

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

3. When Calvin Trillin describes the first time he sees Alice in chapter two, what does he say is the first thing that strikes him about her? Is it simply her attractiveness, or something else?

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

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

6. Does Alice believe she is accurately portrayed in Trillin's books and articles? Briefly describe why or why not.

7. In chapter two, Calvin Trillin draws a parallel in the relationship between the novelist Dick Francis and his late wife Mary and Trillin's own marriage to Alice. Explain.

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

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

10. Describe Calvin Trillin's father-in-law.

(see the answer keys)

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