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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 old was Martin when his father died?
(a) 21.
(b) 28.
(c) 14.
(d) 4.

2. Where did Otto tell Corinne he and William first met when she asked the first time she met William?
(a) At the grocery store.
(b) On Third Avenue.
(c) At work.
(d) At a nearby cafe.

3. What did Otto realize about he and William's relationship after William said he was going to have to meet Otto's family sooner or later?
(a) They had a future together.
(b) Their relationship was going to help his relationship with his own family.
(c) It was not going to last.
(d) They would have to avoid family gatherings if they were going to stay together.

4. How often does Corinne say she would like to see her family all together in the same room?
(a) Once every century or so.
(b) At all major holidays and birthdays.
(c) Every other year.
(d) Every year at least.

5. Who wrote "Some Other, Better Otto"?
(a) George Saunders.
(b) Joan Didion.
(c) Deborah Eisenberg.
(d) Lorrie Moore.

Short Answer Questions

1. What joke does Otto make about seeing a baby when William asks if he wants to see the baby at the start of the story?

2. How did Corinne offend Sharon when she invited her over for the holiday dinner?

3. What did Otto and William often send to family for Christmas in lieu of visiting for many years?

4. Which of Otto's sibling's younger children did Corinne tell Otto he should try to see because they are getting older?

5. To whom did Otto first rent out the the top floor of his brownstone?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is Otto anxious about at the start of the story, which he discusses with William?

2. What did William do while Otto worked when they first moved into the brownstone?

3. How was Otto's family's reaction to William different from the way they reacted to Diandra?

4. Who are Naomi and Margaret? Where are they at the start of the story and why?

5. What do Corinne and Otto say when discussing their family Thanksgivings when they were young?

6. Why did Otto know how to answer Corinne's question about where he and William met?

7. What does Corinne ask of Otto after she invites him to Thanksgiving? Why does she think he will be more effective than she or Martin?

8. How long ago did Otto introduce his family to William? What was the occasion? What changed for Otto after that night?

9. What would Corinne or Martin often say when they called Otto to invite him to a family event?

10. How did Otto's mother's death change him and his relationship with his family?

(see the answer keys)

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