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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. What reason is Pendleton given for the gypsy's disappearance from town?
(a) He is a drunk.
(b) He is a drifter.
(c) He is dead.
(d) He is a spirit.

2. How does Willi react when he hears his father beating his mother at night?
(a) He shouts at his mother.
(b) He does nothing.
(c) He phones the police.
(d) He attacks his father.

3. Which of the following was NOT a way Louise's roommate uses to support Louise in her weight loss goals?
(a) She cooks for Louise.
(b) She speaks kindly to Louise.
(c) She bribes Louise.
(d) She exercises with Louise.

4. How are Sonny and the narrator related in "Sonny's Blues"?
(a) They are father and son.
(b) They are brothers.
(c) They are best friends.
(d) They are cousins.

5. With whom does Willi accidentally witness his mother having an affair?
(a) His teacher.
(b) His neighbor.
(c) His father.
(d) His best friend's father.

Short Answer Questions

1. While taking a walk with his children, what does Sean's father realize he has forgotten, or is missing?

2. What is George's wife's name?

3. In "Verona," how does the mother in the story react when she sees her husband feeding birds with their daughter?

4. What does Louise's husband do for a living?

5. What does Lewis complain about during his meeting with Arty?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. Why does Lenore comfort George at the end of the story "Weekend"?

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

4. How does Willie's father react when Willi tells him what he witnessed in the barn?

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

6. Why does Daniel aggressively attack Noel in the story "The Amish Farmer"?

7. What interesting behavior does Damaso exhibit while in town in the story "The Fisherman From Chihuahua"?

8. 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?

9. Why is Willi Varig hired to tell his story to an audience of people in the story, "Talk of Heroes"?

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

(see the answer keys)

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