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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. How long has the narrator been out of Sri Lanka?
(a) More than twenty years.
(b) Twelve years.
(c) Less than a month.
(d) Three years.

2. Who used to own the car that belongs to the narrator at the start of the story?
(a) Miss Nili.
(b) Joseph.
(c) Mr. Salgado.
(d) Lucy-amma.

3. The cashier says his Sri Lankan home is near what city?
(a) Kuruwita.
(b) Maradankadawala.
(c) Silavatturai.
(d) Colombo.

4. Alone in the house, Triton falls asleep. When he is awakened by a sound, what does he think it is?
(a) A robber.
(b) Wind knocking a window open.
(c) Mr. Salgado returning.
(d) Stray cat.

5. How long is the gas station cashier on the job?
(a) It's the end of his first week.
(b) Ten days.
(c) It's his first night.
(d) One month.

6. What compensation does Joseph get, and what warning does he get, at the end of "Kolla"?
(a) He is given a farewell party and told never to go near Triton again.
(b) He is given a cake and is told to leave Lucy-amma alone.
(c) He receives severance pay and is warned to never come back.
(d) He receives a shirt and is warned to stay sober from now on.

7. At night, what does young Triton dream of?
(a) Revenge against Mr. Salgado.
(b) Revenge against Joseph.
(c) Going back to his family.
(d) Going to the beach with the neighbor girl.

8. Who is Lucy-amma?
(a) The neighborhood matchmaker.
(b) The old cook-woman.
(c) The young girl next door.
(d) The local school teacher.

9. When Joseph is in Mr. Salgado's room, what does he do when Triton finds him there?
(a) Pushes the boy onto the bed.
(b) Runs out the door.
(c) Threatens the boy with a knife.
(d) Lets out a loud scream.

10. After the cashier shares information about himself with the narrator, what does he ask?
(a) If the narrator is married.
(b) If the narrator lives nearby.
(c) How the narrator likes London.
(d) Where the narrator went to school.

11. Why does Triton seek refuge in the kitchen?
(a) Joseph does not go in there when onions are being prepared.
(b) It's the only room in the house with a door that locks.
(c) It reminds him of the times he helps his mother in the kitchen.
(d) He has a secret hiding place behind the kitchen pantry.

12. Why does the cashier turn off the outside lights?
(a) So the monthly electric bill won't be as high.
(b) So he can take a ten-minute smoking break.
(c) To close early and go home to his family.
(d) To keep customers away while the problem is being resolved.

13. At the start of the story, what does the narrator notice about the cashier?
(a) The cashier looks drunk.
(b) The cashier looks frightened.
(c) The cashier is asleep.
(d) The cashier resembles him.

14. Why does Triton run away from home?
(a) He is tired of the daily beatings he receives from his uncle.
(b) He burns a roof at his school and fears his father's wrath.
(c) He is the oldest of twelve kids and he wants to get away from the daily chaos.
(d) His mother wants him to become a temple priest, but he refuses.

15. Why are Triton and Joseph left alone at Mr. Salgado's house?
(a) Mr. Salgado takes Lucy-amma out for her birthday.
(b) Mr. Salgado is on a business trip and Lucy-amma is taking care of a dying relative.
(c) Mr. Salgado is on vacation and Lucy-amma is in the hospital.
(d) Mr. Salgado and Lucy-amma take separate trips at the same time.

Short Answer Questions

1. How does Triton try to protect himself from Joseph when he's left alone with him in the house?

2. When Triton takes a small red onion and cuts it into quarters, what does he intend to do?

3. When Triton finds himself alone with Joseph at Mr. Salgado's house, what is he afraid of?

4. Does the cashier understand the suggestions the narrator gives him in a Sri Lankan language?

5. When the narrator and cashier meet, what is happening in Sri Lanka?

(see the answer keys)

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