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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. How many people in the group of seven men confronting maybe-boyfriend at his house are carrying guns?
(a) 2.
(b) 3.
(c) 5.
(d) 7.

2. On which day of the week had tablets girl always poisoned people, prior to her more frequent poisonings?
(a) Monday.
(b) Friday.
(c) Wednesday.
(d) Saturday.

3. Middle sister is shocked to hear from which character that she has been deemed a "beyond-the pale" (192) within the community?
(a) First brother-in-law.
(b) Longest friend.
(c) Eldest sister.
(d) Third brother-in-law.

4. Tablets girl poisons middle sister just after which character has departed from the table to use the restroom at the bar?
(a) First brother-in-law.
(b) Maybe-boyfriend.
(c) Third brother-in-law.
(d) Longest friend.

5. At what time of night does the group of renouncers-of-the-state arrive at maybe-boyfriend's house to threaten him?
(a) 7.
(b) 9.
(c) 11.
(d) 8.

Short Answer Questions

1. What accessory does longest friend wear with her wedding gown?

2. Which "shiny" member of tablets girl's family does she poison, permanently affecting her victim's "health and eyesight" (217)?

3. For what reason do the members of middle sister's community never visit the hospital for any reason, no matter how dire the circumstances?

4. Middle sister protests inwardly when longest friend tells middle sister that she has fallen into what "zone" (208)?

5. What does middle sister do in Chapter 6 when a former couple sees each other for the first time in ages?

Short Essay Questions

1. What revelation does ma make about real milkman during one of her breaks from the hospital?

2. What is ironic about the fact that every time the milkman suddenly appears, he does so "in the manner of some ordinary meeting up" (166)?

3. What act does middle sister see as the one that would symbolize her surrender to the milkman?

4. What does middle sister mean when she says, "My inner world, it seemed, had gone away" (176)?

5. Give an example of Burns's use of sarcastic humor within Chapter 5 and explain its connection to one of the novel's major themes.

6. What are middle sister's expectations when she tells longest friend the truth about the milkman?

7. Who is tablets girl?

8. What kind of murders are said to be "unfathomable" (237) within the confines of middle sister's community and why are they described in this way?

9. For what reason does the incident in the chip shop happen, according to middle sister?

10. What is the symbolism of the "tenner" (220) in the novel?

(see the answer keys)

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