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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. On how many previous occasions had ma handed over her purse to someone else?
(a) 2.
(b) 1.
(c) 3.
(d) 4.

2. What word does ma use to describe real milkman's condition?
(a) Good.
(b) Dire.
(c) Critical.
(d) Stable.

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

4. What objects does middle sister throw onto the ground after she leaves the place where she has just had a contentious encounter with the community?
(a) Chips.
(b) Cookies.
(c) Rosaries.
(d) Magazines.

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

Short Answer Questions

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

2. Which of middle sister's siblings had lost her true love due to the explosion of a car bomb?

3. In what kind of establishment does middle sister have a contentious altercation with members of her community?

4. Which character joined a convent, thereby breaking real milkman's heart during his youth?

5. The gossip centered around middle sister and the milkman names which location as their favorite place to meet?

Short Essay Questions

1. 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)?

2. What is the ultimate fate of longest friend?

3. What information about longest friend does middle sister finally reveal to the reader at the end of Chapter 4?

4. What major revelation about the community's view of middle sister does longest friend reveal during their meeting?

5. What three-syllable response does middle sister use in response to any question she is ever asked and why?

6. How does longest friend's reaction to middle sister's confession surprise middle sister?

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

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

9. 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.

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

(see the answer keys)

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