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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. How are Earl and Edna related?
(a) Edna is Earl's cousin.
(b) Edna is Earl's girlfriend.
(c) Edna is Earl's sister.
(d) Edna is Earl's mother.

2. Which of the following is NOT a way that Louise reacts when she begins to gain weight during her pregnancy?
(a) She starts sneaking snacks.
(b) She starts wearing baggy clothes.
(c) She starts writing in her food journal.
(d) She starts excluding herself from social events.

3. What reason does George give to others who ask why his wife continues to stay with him?
(a) Because she trusts him explicitly.
(b) Because she has no other options.
(c) Because she is in love.
(d) Because she is simple-minded.

4. Why has Emily's daughter come to stay with her?
(a) Because she was recenly released from prison.
(b) Because she lost her job.
(c) Because she split up from her husband.
(d) Because she has fallen ill.

5. Who is the co-editor of this collection along with Tom Jenks?
(a) Raymond Carver.
(b) John Steinbeck.
(c) Ernest Hemingway.
(d) Junot Diaz.

Short Answer Questions

1. What country was Willi Varig fighting for in WWII?

2. What is the name of Emily's daughter in the story "Talk of Heroes"?

3. In the story, "Rock Springs," what handicap affects Terrel?

4. In the story "Sonny's Blues," what does the narrator do for a living?

5. In the story, "The Fisherman From Chihuahua," what type of business does Pendleton own?

Short Essay Questions

1. What unfortunate site does Willi witness in the story of the same name, and how does the young boy react to what he's seen?

2. What memory does Sean have of his father from when he was a 6 year old boy in the story "Midair"?

3. What prompts the narrator in "Sonny's Blues" to reach out to his incarcerated brother?

4. What reason does Raymond Carver give about why he wanted to compose this collection of short stories?

5. Who is Push in the story "A Poetic for Bullies," and who is his sidekick?

6. How does Louise's husband react when Louise gains weight during her pregnancy?

7. What type of relationship does Carlyle form with Mrs. Webster in the story "Fever"?

8. How does Arty react in the story "The Bystander" when his father is committed to a mental institution?

9. What reaction does the narrator have when watching Sonny play his music in the story "Sonny's Blues"?

10. What does Sonny blame his heroin addiction on?

(see the answer keys)

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