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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. Trillin states that while on a trip to a foreign country, the main subject for discussion by American tourists is ...
(a) How much a melon cost.
(b) How much it rains.
(c) How much a hotel room cost.
(d) How much it snows.

2. Where does Calvin and Alice have a summer home?
(a) Long Island.
(b) Greenwich Village.
(c) California.
(d) Nova Scotia.

3. In what publication is Alice's op-ed article on the subject of a smoking ban in New York City published?
(a) The Times.
(b) The Nation.
(c) The Daily News.
(d) The New Yorker.

4. In chapter four, an encounter is described taking place in an elevator between Alice and a young boy with cancer. What does he say about her type of cancer?
(a) "They treat that like the common cold."
(b) "That's bad."
(c) "That's a dragon you can't slay."
(d) "That's the worst kind."

5. Which phrase best describes Alice's religious views?
(a) Alice converts to Catholicism as an adult.
(b) Alice is outspoken about her views on the importance of attending church as a family.
(c) Alice is somewhere between uninterested and hostile when it comes to religion.
(d) Alice is a devout Jew who raises her children with traditional religious values.

Short Answer Questions

1. Trillin states that he is brought up in which city?

2. Select the city in which Calvin and Alice have a disagreement about money.

3. Which one of the following statements is true?

4. In chapter six, what does a carpenter named Frank tell Alice during her home renovation project?

5. Where does Alice once work?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the Trillins' trip to Japan. What does their disagreement say about their marriage?

2. Why does Calvin Trillin show his wife Alice his rough drafts?

3. Explain the Alice Tax.

4. What reasons does Mina Shaughnessy give to justify her choice of clothing?

5. Why does Alice think that marrying Calvin Trillin means she has to live a modest lifestyle?

6. Describe what Alice means when she says that someone "doesn't have a nice life."

7. What is Alice's attitude toward spending money?

8. In chapter four, do you think Calvin Trillin is wise to not to take the advice of his colleague?

9. In chapter six, explain Calvin Trillin's theory about the person who makes out the mortgage check in a marriage.

10. In what ways are Calvin Trillin and Alice lucky?

(see the answer keys)

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