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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. How old was Frances at the time of her mother's death?
(a) Six years old.
(b) Four years old.
(c) Eight years old.
(d) Ten years old.

2. What classic fairy tale does the narrator reference when describing Mumma's death?
(a) The Princess and the Pea.
(b) Sleeping Beauty.
(c) The Prince and the Pauper.
(d) Hansel and Gretel.

3. Which family member found Materia after her apparent suicide?
(a) Lily.
(b) Frances.
(c) Mercedes.
(d) James.

4. How does James feel about his first-born child?
(a) He admires her from a distance.
(b) He wants nothing to do with her.
(c) He is obsessed with her.
(d) He is apathetic toward her and simply provides for his family.

5. Which of the following is NOT an object Frances proposed using as rosary beads when a proper rosary wasn't present?
(a) Dots on a newspaper.
(b) Clouds in the sky.
(c) Freckles.
(d) Mouse turds.

6. Which of the following items is NOT described in detail in the opening passages of the prologue?
(a) The bright moon.
(b) The barren schoolyard.
(c) The cutaway cliffs.
(d) The thin trees.

7. Which North American city is Materia desperate to move to after her marriage?
(a) Seattle.
(b) New York.
(c) San Francisco.
(d) Chicago.

8. What disease is Kathleen's baby born with, causing the house to be put in quarantine?
(a) Scarlet Fever.
(b) Polio.
(c) Influenza.
(d) Malaria.

9. Who is the narrator of the novel when the reader learns about Materia's funeral?
(a) Frances.
(b) James.
(c) Kathleen.
(d) Mercedes.

10. What did James's father do for a living?
(a) He was a piano tuner.
(b) He was a philosophy teacher.
(c) He was a garbage collector.
(d) He was a shoemaker.

11. Who acts as the go-between for Materia and her mother during the time she and her family live in Sydney?
(a) Kathleen Piper.
(b) James Piper.
(c) Mr. Luvovitz.
(d) Mrs. Luvovitz.

12. What is the last thing Kathleen sees before she dies?
(a) A ghost.
(b) A scarecrow.
(c) A bright light.
(d) A bat.

13. After James moved away from home, where did he settle?
(a) Brisbane.
(b) Melbourne.
(c) Sydney.
(d) Newcastle.

14. How does Materia react when she learns James will soon be returning home from the war?
(a) She is apathetic.
(b) She is anxious.
(c) She is angry.
(d) She is excited.

15. Why doesn't Kathleen mind that she has no friends in school?
(a) Because she doesn't like any of them.
(b) Because she thinks she is better than all of them.
(c) Because her family has forbidden her to have friends.
(d) Because she thinks she has a great future ahead of her.

Short Answer Questions

1. What is strange about James's reaction to Kathleen striking the piano keys?

2. Which of the following figures haunt Kathleen in her nightmares?

3. What shocking news does the theater owner make moments after Kathleen's performance?

4. During the time of James's bootlegging career, how long had the coal miners been on strike?

5. When her father is gone, how does Kathleen treat her younger sisters?

(see the answer keys)

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