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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 bird does Gina remind Michael of in the picture he took at the bowling alley in chapter 19?
(a) A swan.
(b) A mockingbird.
(c) A stork.
(d) An eagle.

2. What does Michael notice is a pattern in Gina's art?
(a) She draws herself sallow and without varnish.
(b) She draws herself prettier than she is.
(c) She draws herself as an saint.
(d) She draws herself plump and distorted.

3. What color hair does Irma Kominsky have?
(a) Blue.
(b) Red.
(c) Green.
(d) Orange.

4. What does Striker call Irma in the privacy of his own mind in chapter 22?
(a) The old lady.
(b) The martyr.
(c) The saint.
(d) The Jew.

5. What language does Irma sing in prior to beginning dinner in chapter 21?
(a) German.
(b) Russian.
(c) Italian.
(d) Hebrew.

Short Answer Questions

1. Who is Jerry?

2. Why does Michael O'Casey like bowling alleys?

3. What were Irma and her daughter doing the day the Germans came and took them away?

4. What is a tiki statue?

5. How did Irma meet her current husband?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does the author draw parallels between Striker and Irma concerning their painful pasts?

2. In the beginning of Part Two, how does the narration change?

3. How does Wanda's knowledge of her parents' relationship compare with what Striker has revealed to the reader in part two of the novel?

4. What picture does Striker have of his wife and how does this connect him with Wanda Schultz?

5. What symbolic item is mentioned in chapter 18 that is related to a similar item symbolically important to Wanda Schultz?

6. Why is Michael forced to quit college after marrying Gina?

7. Who is M.J. Striker and why has he come to work at the Aloha Lanes bowling alley in chapter 20?

8. How do the Hawaiian shirts becomes something of a symbol between Striker and Irma in chapter 21?

9. Why does Michael leave his daughter and go in search of his missing wife in chapter 19?

10. What happens soon after the dinner Striker shares with Irma and her husband, Sammy?

(see the answer keys)

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