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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What is implied when Brenda meets "a handsome Dutchman who worked for a bank" (30)?
(a) Brenda has always been more interested in finding a rich man than finding true love.
(b) Brenda is looking for a house for her and Frank to live in outside the city.
(c) Frank is more focused on the case than on Brenda, so she finds a different boyfriend.
(d) Brenda is cheating on Frank, but he not invested in their relationship enough to notice.

2. Where is Alan's family from?
(a) Washington, D.C.
(b) Cleveland.
(c) Chicago.
(d) Hartford.

3. What does Nan say is the cause of her life "made up of disappointments" (32)?
(a) Her upbringing.
(b) Falling in love with the wrong people.
(c) Staying in New York instead of returning to Nashville.
(d) Her lack of education.

4. What technique is used in the sentence "In the morning in stale darkness the subways shrieked" (26)?
(a) Asyndeton.
(b) Personification.
(c) Cacophony.
(d) Metaphor.

5. With whom does Brenda go on a trip to Hawaii?
(a) Her mother.
(b) Frank.
(c) Her father.
(d) Her sister.

6. At the end of the story's first section, what is Alan trying to decide about Frank?
(a) Whether Frank is really his friend.
(b) Whether there is something missing inside Frank.
(c) Whether Frank knows how to make himself happy.
(d) Whether Frank is secretly insecure.

7. From context, what can be inferred about the neighborhood of Bryant Park?
(a) It is dangerous.
(b) It is expensive.
(c) It is full of law offices.
(d) It is predominantly Italian.

8. Which character is identified as being in an "intermediate state though looking assured" (31)?
(a) Brenda.
(b) Nan.
(c) Alan.
(d) Frank.

9. What is Frank referring to when he asks Brenda what she is going to do with "that beautiful struma" (27)?
(a) Her handbag.
(b) Her dog.
(c) Her car.
(d) Her neck.

10. What is a logical inference about who "Hopie" is?
(a) Alan's wife.
(b) Brenda's mother.
(c) Alan's child.
(d) Brenda's sister.

11. On page 30, what is being compared to an "infinite forest, the trunks and vines blocking out the light"?
(a) Frank and Alan's relationship.
(b) Life in New York City.
(c) The legal profession in general.
(d) The Hardmann Roe case.

12. What does Frank like about Brenda?
(a) Her voice.
(b) Her sophistication.
(c) Her intelligence.
(d) Her sense of humor.

13. What does the allusion to Frik and Frak imply about how the higher-ups at their firm see Alan and Frank?
(a) They are considered inept.
(b) They are almost invisible.
(c) They are seen as determined.
(d) They are seen as one entity.

14. Who is Camille?
(a) Alan's wife.
(b) Alan's child.
(c) Alan's sister.
(d) Alan's mother.

15. What is Alan's page 33 assessment of Cummings, their classmate who now serves in Congress?
(a) "A toady."
(b) "A sneak."
(c) "A lightweight."
(d) "A zero."

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Nan bring as a gift to the man who invites her over for tea?

2. On the summer night when Alan and Frank go to Brenda's apartment, why do they end up missing her party?

3. In what way do Frank and Alan become "like the old partners" at the firm because of the Hardmann Roe case?

4. What technique is used in the sentence, "Which was what made them inseparable, the hours of work, the lyric, the dreams" (26)?

5. From context, what is the best interpretation of the word "funny" in "In those days they were living in apartments with funny furniture" (25)?

(see the answer keys)

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