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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What meat did the Balakian family frequently eat for dinner?
(a) Goat.
(b) Lamb.
(c) Beef.
(d) Chicken.

2. What is lokma?
(a) Fried dough.
(b) Kebab.
(c) Lamb.
(d) Doughnut.

3. Where did Franklin Delano Roosevelt attend prep school?
(a) Groton.
(b) Exeter.
(c) Andover.
(d) Lawrenceville.

4. What degree was Balakian's girlfriend working on when he visited her, instead of going to his grandmother's memorial service?
(a) Law degree.
(b) Philosophy.
(c) MBA.
(d) Medical degree.

5. What does the phrase, "Mairig Asdvadzadzeen," mean?
(a) Son of God.
(b) Holy Ghost.
(c) Holy Spirit.
(d) Mother of God.

6. What team was Columbia playing when the fan had a heart attack?
(a) Harvard.
(b) Yale.
(c) Princeton.
(d) Pennsylvania.

7. What was Peter shocked to see his grandmother doing as she read late at night?
(a) Smoking a pipe.
(b) Drinking whiskey.
(c) Smoking a cigar.
(d) Drinking a beer.

8. What does the word hokee mean?
(a) Peace.
(b) Rest.
(c) Heaven.
(d) Soul.

9. What college did Balakian's father say was "better than its name"?
(a) Harvey Mudd.
(b) Kalamazoo.
(c) Dartmouth.
(d) Brown.

10. Why was Balakian's father unable to serve during World War II?
(a) Poor eyesight.
(b) High blood pressure.
(c) A limp.
(d) Poor hearing.

11. In what grade was Peter during the Cuban Missile Crisis?
(a) Sixth.
(b) Eighth.
(c) Fifth.
(d) Fourth.

12. What American author was NOT mentioned as the topic of one of Aunt Anna's published literary books?
(a) F. Scott Fitzgerald.
(b) William Faulkner.
(c) Carson McCullers.
(d) Kurt Vonnegut.

13. Where had Balakian learned the stories of the Bible?
(a) Armenian Sunday school.
(b) From his Jewish friends.
(c) Within the family.
(d) Armenian church.

14. What color were the kitchen cabinets in the Balakian's new home in Tenafly?
(a) Cherry.
(b) Maple.
(c) Oak.
(d) Pine.

15. At what age did Balakian's father leave France for the United States?
(a) Eight.
(b) Four.
(c) Ten.
(d) Six.

Short Answer Questions

1. What colors were the threads on the brocade of Mr. Blumenthal's yarmulke?

2. What Biblical figure were the Jewish boys arguing about during the baseball game in "An Armenian Jew in Suburbia"?

3. According to Armenian legend, what animal was Adam's first companion in the Garden of Eden?

4. What kind of ice cream did grandmother buy Peter when they accidentally got off the subway in Harlem?

5. What did Aunt Nona major in while at Barnard?

(see the answer keys)

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