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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 mood is the narrator in as he goes to bed after the date?
(a) He is confused and angry about his feelings for Vicky.
(b) For the first time in a while he is happy.
(c) He is indifferent, dreading the confrontation with Tillinghast.
(d) He is miserable, like always.

2. Does the narrator enjoy dancing with Elaine?
(a) Yes, she is a beautiful model and a great person.
(b) No, she is a horrible dancer and steps on his feet.
(c) Yes, he loves her dance steps and her hard-edged look.
(d) No, he does not find her attractive or interesting.

3. What animal does the narrator compare to Amanda?
(a) A puppy.
(b) A gosling.
(c) A bear cub.
(d) A foal.

4. Why does the narrator dislike going home?
(a) His apartment is haunted with thoughts of his ex-wife.
(b) He lives with an unruly roommate.
(c) He lives with his nagging mother.
(d) His apartment is a slum and infested with cockroaches.

5. Who does the narrator see on the West Side Highway?
(a) A lone hooker pulling on her skirt.
(b) His mother, in town for a surprise visit.
(c) Amanda, who is as beautiful as ever.
(d) A man peddling kabobs on a cart.

Short Answer Questions

1. When did the narrator propose to Amanda?

2. Who has the narrator been set up with for the evening?

3. Why is Amanda embarrassed for the narrator to meet her mother, Dolly?

4. What is the narrator's nickname for cocaine?

5. In what point of view is the novel written?

Short Essay Questions

1. To what does the narrator attribute his need to belong and feel desired?

2. Why does the narrator have trouble being in his apartment?

3. Though Vicky seems an appropriate person for the narrator and makes him happy, what ill affect does the exhilaration of their date have on the narrator?

4. Why, after all the time that has passed, is the narrator still trying to track Amanda down?

5. Why is the narrator having difficulty fulfilling his dream of becoming a famous fiction writer?

6. How is the mannequin symbolic of Amanda?

7. Does the narrator feel capable of understand other people's life experiences? Why or why not?

8. What was Amanda's home life like when she met the narrator?

9. What is worrying the narrator as he begins work on the French article?

10. Why is the narrator so upset when he forgets Megan's bagel?

(see the answer keys)

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