View a FREE sample

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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What simile is used to describe Salvatore's hands when he is not bathing his children?
(a) Like clouds.
(b) Like bricks.
(c) Like legs of mutton.
(d) Like loaves of bread.

2. Why did Assunta not marry the man to whom she had been engaged?
(a) He left her for another woman.
(b) He walked out on her and never returned.
(c) He was killed during military service.
(d) She ended the engagement when she learned he had cheated.

3. Where did Salvatore go to have a good look at Assunta before deciding whether he would marry her or not?
(a) The beach.
(b) Her house.
(c) The cafe.
(d) Church.

4. What did foreigners say about Italian fishermen when they saw Salvatore on the beach?
(a) They were lazy devils.
(b) They were hard workers.
(c) They were unfortunate peasants.
(d) They were the salt of the earth.

5. How is Assunta described physically?
(a) Heavy-set but jolly.
(b) Unattractive and old-looking.
(c) Unkempt and scraggly.
(d) Beautiful and delicate featured.

6. What simile is used to describe Salvatore's hands while he bathes his children?
(a) Like sandpaper.
(b) Like cold stones.
(c) Like flowers.
(d) Like buzzing bees.

7. How does the narrator describe Salvatore's manners after marrying Assunta and moving to their home?
(a) Peasant-like.
(b) Beautiful.
(c) Barbaric.
(d) Aristocratic.

8. How is Salvatore's laughter described when he bathes his child?
(a) Like an angel.
(b) Like the devil.
(c) Like a child.
(d) Like an old man.

9. What does Salvatore tell his mother about Assunta?
(a) She is mean, mean, mean.
(b) She is an angel among angels.
(c) She is ugly as the devil.
(d) She is a beauty like no other.

10. Whom did Assunta have "nothing but harsh words for" (7)?
(a) Her children.
(b) Salvatore's mother.
(c) Her former fiancé.
(d) Salvatore's former fiancé.

11. What did Salvatore do for work when he was not fishing after he married and had children?
(a) Taught school.
(b) Worked on his father's vineyard.
(c) Cooked for a wealthy family.
(d) Rode a horse and buggy.

12. What did Salvatore tell his mother after he took a good look at Assunta?
(a) He would rather marry his own brother.
(b) He would rather die than marry her.
(c) He would marry her if she fixed herself up a bit.
(d) He would marry her.

13. What work does Salvatore do when he settles home after returning from military service?
(a) He works with his mother cleaning houses.
(b) He works as a cook for a wealthy family.
(c) He refused to work and just hangs out on the beach.
(d) Fishing and working on his father's vineyard.

14. What rare quality does the narrator say he was trying to paint a portrait of in his story "Salvatore"?
(a) Courage.
(b) Honesty.
(c) Goodness.
(d) Evil.

15. What does Salvatore's mother tell him about a woman named Assunta a few months after he returned from military service?
(a) She has a well-paying job for him.
(b) She knows how to cure his rheumatism.
(c) She has been saying terrible things about him.
(d) She wants to marry him.

Short Answer Questions

1. What word is used to describe Salvatore's body after marrying?

2. With whom did Salvatore fish with on his boat in the evenings during fishing season?

3. Why does Salvatore's fiancé say she can no longer marry him?

4. What was Assunta able to purchase for Salvatore if they married?

5. What would Salvatore do when his rheumatism made it impossible for him to work?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 588 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample