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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 Francis say his mother tried to do to the neighbors’ property?
(a) Kill their tree.
(b) Break their windows.
(c) Wall out their noise.
(d) Poison their dog.

2. Where did Helen meet Arthur?
(a) A symphony performance.
(b) Through a friend.
(c) Arthur’s piano store.
(d) On the street.

3. What quality does the narrator says that Helen’s silk kimono has?
(a) Translucency.
(b) Elegance.
(c) Exhaustion.
(d) Shoddiness.

4. How does Francis characterize his ability to atone for the past?
(a) He says that nothing he says means anything.
(b) He says that he can’t bring himself to apologize.
(c) He says that the only apology would be to kill himself.
(d) He says that his life itself is guilt, now.

5. What does Helen say she is a symbol of?
(a) She says that she is not a symbol of anything.
(b) She says that she is a symbol of the potential in the human heart.
(c) She says that she is a symbol of the life Francis wanted for himself.
(d) She says that she is a symbol of the road-not-taken.

Short Answer Questions

1. What did Francis’ mother announce at Thanksgiving dinner after Francis was married?

2. Where does Francis ask Rosskam to stop his wagon?

3. What dread does Francis say he associates with sex?

4. What is Francis’ response to Katrina’s scar?

5. How long did Francis and Annie court before they married?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Helen say that she and Francis could not marry?

2. Describe Helen’s relationship with Arthur.

3. What does Rosskam tell Francis about his sex life?

4. How do Francis’ kids react to seeing him?

5. What memories does Rosskam’s sex talk evoke for Francis?

6. What kind of peace does Francis make with Annie?

7. How does Helen feel about her life, when she is summing it up as she dies?

8. Describe the vision Francis sees at Colonie Street.

9. What peace does Francis establish with the ghosts who have been following him?

10. Why is Helen angry with Francis, when she thinks about him in the hotel?

(see the answer keys)

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