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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. Which of middle sister's siblings had lost her true love due to the explosion of a car bomb?
(a) Eldest sister.
(b) One of the three wee sisters.
(c) Third sister.
(d) Second sister.

2. Longest friend reveals that which character had been the source of the original rumors about middle sister?
(a) Eldest sister.
(b) Ma.
(c) First brother-in-law.
(d) Real milkman.

3. Which element of speech had inspired suspicion in middle sister's mind long before the appearance of the milkman in her life?
(a) Names.
(b) Questions.
(c) Interjections.
(d) Verbs.

4. What does middle sister do in Chapter 6 when a former couple sees each other for the first time in ages?
(a) She watches.
(b) She turns her back.
(c) She walks home.
(d) She sits down nearby.

5. In what kind of establishment does middle sister have a contentious altercation with members of her community?
(a) A newspaper stand.
(b) A church.
(c) A bakery.
(d) A chip shop.

Short Answer Questions

1. Who comes up behind middle sister in Chapter 6 and puts his arms around her?

2. How old is tablets girl, according to middle sister?

3. Whose death is revealed at the end of Chapter 4?

4. How does longest friend get word to middle sister that she wants to meet with her?

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

Short Essay Questions

1. Why do the renouncers-of-the-state come to middle sister's family's door in Chapter 5?

2. What is the ultimate fate of longest friend?

3. Who is tablets girl?

4. Which character does middle sister soon encounter once she emerges from the chip shop and what reunion does she then watch?

5. 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?

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

7. Discuss a particular allusion Burns uses to allude to another literary work associated with the theme of depression.

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

9. 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)?

10. Describe an instance when Burns makes a point about how polarization often leads to exclusion.

(see the answer keys)

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