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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. In what manner does Anders perform a particular action "through his fingers" (34)?
(a) Helplessly.
(b) Carelessly.
(c) Quietly.
(d) Foolishly.

2. How many questions does the man with the pistol ask Anders before Anders answers "No" the second time?
(a) 2.
(b) 4.
(c) 3.
(d) 1.

3. The man with the pistol uses what object to finally direct Anders's gaze toward the bank ceiling?
(a) His fingers.
(b) His fist.
(c) His knife.
(d) His pistol.

4. What question does the man with the pistol ask Anders after he has put the pistol against a part of Anders's body?
(a) "Are you serious?"
(b) "What is wrong with you?"
(c) "What's so funny?"
(d) "Are you going to shut up?"

5. What adjective does the narrator use to describe the style of the old bank building?
(a) Pompous.
(b) Conventional.
(c) Uninspired.
(d) Staid.

Short Answer Questions

1. How many "feet per second" (35) is the bullet said to be moving after it strikes a particular object?

2. How many times in total does Anders repeat the word uttered by the man with the pistol just before Anders is shot?

3. What male figure does Anders reflect upon as he is gazing at the bank ceiling?

4. What adjective is used to describe the ceiling of the bank?

5. What two adjectives are used to describe the smell Anders detects?

Short Essay Questions

1. What appears to be the source of the man with the pistol's anger toward Anders?

2. To what question does Anders answer, "No" in Paragraph 20 before he fights to maintain decorum?

3. What event causes Anders to imagine a cartoon bubble and what does it say?

4. Where are the entrance and exit wounds inflicted by the bullet to Anders's head?

5. Wolff compares the speeds of what two objects within Paragraph 35?

6. What is Anders's reply to the question he is asked the third time he is called "Bright boy" (27)?

7. What event happens to force Anders to examine the domed ceiling of the bank?

8. How many years ago had the event at the center of Anders's one witnessed memory taken place?

9. What threat does the man with the pistol make against Anders before shooting him?

10. Discuss an instance of irony within the story.

(see the answer keys)

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