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

2. How many questions does the man with the pistol ask Anders before Anders answers "No" the first time (30)?
(a) 1.
(b) 4.
(c) 2.
(d) 3.

3. What male figure does Anders reflect upon as he is gazing at the bank ceiling?
(a) Adam.
(b) Pan.
(c) Zeus.
(d) Jesus.

4. The man with the pistol asks Anders whether Anders thinks that the man is "some kind of" (29) what?
(a) Patsy.
(b) Clown.
(c) Creep.
(d) Idiot.

5. The memory that emerges within Anders's conscious mind takes place on a day how many years previous?
(a) 20.
(b) 40.
(c) 30.
(d) 50.

Short Answer Questions

1. The ceiling of the bank is said to be "crowded with" (26) what?

2. The origin of the memory that arises within Anders's conscious mind is described with the use of what adjective?

3. What does the man with the pistol do with the pistol just before shooting Anders in the head?

4. What verb is used to describe the movement of Anders's bones after a bullet enters his skull?

5. The narrator states that Anders "would have" (35) felt in what way about the phrase "passed before his eyes" (35)?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What is ironic about the mural artist's portrayal of the story of Zeus and Europa?

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

4. What piece of 1940s slang does the man with the pistol use and how does Anders react?

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

6. What is the overall subject of the mural painted upon the bank's ceiling?

7. What factors lead to the memory from "forty years past" (35) being called up rather than another memory?

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

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

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

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 848 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample