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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 does the narrator talk to Miss Finch about in the refreshment room?
(a) How terrible the circus is.
(b) The ethics of fish trawling.
(c) Smilodons and other prehistoric creatures.
(d) Microbes and other harmful things that can be found in Sushi.

2. What is in the eighth room of the circus?
(a) The Cabinet of Wishes Fulfilled.
(b) The Sword of Truth.
(c) The Chest of Horrors.
(d) The Box of Wonders.

3. In 'Forbidden Brides...' what draws Amelia toward the house?
(a) A strange unearthly glow coming from the basement.
(b) The sound of haunting music on the air.
(c) A signpost pointing down a track in the woods.
(d) A single light flickering in the topmost room.

4. In The Faery Reel, what does the narrator say the 'brown boys' will do with his heart?
(a) Play with it until it is broken.
(b) Eat it.
(c) Lock it up and keep it safe.
(d) Play a song on it and dance along.

5. What is the first story about?
(a) A woman who falls in love with a man at an airport by looking at the x-ray of his luggage.
(b) A boy who plays a cello very badly, and one day manages to inexplicably play fantastic music on it, but breaks it the next day and can never play it properly again.
(c) A little boy who is dared by some other boys to knock on the door of a strange playhouse. The playhouse traps the other boys and they are never seen again.
(d) A chef who changes a customer's order to suit the wine, but the customer ends up having an allergy to the food.

Short Answer Questions

1. In 'Bitter Grounds' what is the narrator doing when he decides to just keep driving and run away from his old life?

2. Where does a woman from the bar take the narrator?

3. What does Amelia promise them in return for not killing her?

4. What happens to Miss Finch?

5. In 'Strange Little Girls' in the story 'Bonnie's Mother,' what has happened to Bonnie's mother?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does the narrator see a Haitian coffee girl at the end of the story?

2. Describe the character of the detective in 'A Study in Emerald.'

3. In 'The Faery Reel,' what kind of place is fairyland?

4. Describe how the detective solves the mystery in 'A Study in Emerald.'

5. Describe the character of Mr. Alice.

6. Why does Runt decide to go into the farmhouse at the end of October's story?

7. In 'Bitter Grounds' why does the man become a demon?

8. Who tells the story about the playhouse in 'Closing Time,' and what evidence is there that this person is the storyteller?

9. How do the characteristics and personalities of the months in the story 'October in the Chair' reflect the different months of the year?

10. In what ways could 'Good Boys Deserve Favors' be considered a coming of age story?

(see the answer keys)

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