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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. Where does Rudy say Sandra came from?
(a) New Jersey.
(b) Tennessee.
(c) Alaska.
(d) California.

2. Where is Francis Phelan’s family derived from?
(a) Ireland.
(b) Germany.
(c) Italy.
(d) England.

3. What does the narrator say about the brotherhood that joins Francis and Rudy?
(a) It comes into being whenever Francis and Rudy drink together.
(b) They are the founding members.
(c) It has been passed down since the beginning of time.
(d) It has never existed.

4. How does Francis characterize Helen in bed?
(a) A sack of potatoes.
(b) A first-rate heller.
(c) A slippery eel.
(d) A force to be reckoned with.

5. What makes it possible for Francis and Rudy to eat at the Mission?
(a) They made reservations.
(b) They have money.
(c) They are sober.
(d) They are homeless.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Francis say is ‘standard survival currency everywhere’?

2. What does Helen say will happen to Francis if he leaves her on the street?

3. What does Francis get for Sandra?

4. What does the narrator say Rudy is aware of as Francis approaches Gerald’s grave?

5. What year is it in the present moment of the novel?

Short Essay Questions

1. What expression does Francis use when something is finally and absolutely concluded?

2. When Helen says that she won’t go back to Finny’s car, she says that she might call her people. What is the irony in this?

3. How did Francis end up killing Harold Allen?

4. Describe Francis and Helen’s visit to Jack and Clara’s flat.

5. What is the message of the song Helen sings to Francis?

6. What does Francis say is the curve of Clara’s life?

7. Describe the brotherhood Francis and Rudy share.

8. Where did Francis Phelan’s family lie in the pecking order of the cemetery?

9. What effect is created by the author’s sophisticated vocabulary?

10. Describe Francis’ baseball career.

(see the answer keys)

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