View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What female figure does Anders reflect upon as he is gazing at the bank ceiling?
(a) Persephone.
(b) The Virgin Mary.
(c) Eve.
(d) Europa.

2. The narrator states that there is "gilt scrollwork" (26) over what feature of the bank?
(a) The entryway.
(b) The tellers' cages.
(c) The gate to the vault.
(d) The front door.

3. The memory that emerges within Anders's conscious mind takes place during what time of day?
(a) In the afternoon.
(b) In the middle of the night.
(c) At dusk.
(d) In the morning.

4. What kind of shoes is the man with the pistol wearing?
(a) Oxfords.
(b) Loafers.
(c) Moccasins.
(d) Wing-tips.

5. When the man with the pistol rejects Anders's choice of where to direct his gaze for the second time, toward what object does the man direct Anders's gaze?
(a) The wallpaper.
(b) The ceiling.
(c) The back of the bank.
(d) The floor.

Short Answer Questions

1. Which figure depicted in the bank ceiling mural appears as a bull?

2. How many questions does the man with the pistol ask Anders before Anders answers "No" the first time (30)?

3. The narrator provides the speed of the bullet after it hits what object?

4. Anders is said to take what action at his "leisure" (35) in regard to the scene he witnesses from his past?

5. From what location does the bullet exit Anders's head?

Short Essay Questions

1. What goal does Anders have in mind when staring into the eyes of the man with the pistol?

2. What specific reaction does Anders have to his vision of a cartoon bubble and how do you know?

3. What season and time of day are portrayed within Anders's one witnessed memory?

4. Discuss an instance of irony within the story.

5. Discuss an instance of irony within Anders's final moments.

6. Describe the eyes of the man with the pistol.

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

8. What evidence is there to suggest that Anders does recognize positive aspects of even art he considers subpar?

9. What is Wolff's purpose for describing the eyes of the man with the pistol?

10. In what way does Anders react to the man with the pistol's use of 1940s slang and what is the end result?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 903 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample