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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. What time of day does the story take place?
(a) Late afternoon.
(b) Noon.
(c) Late night.
(d) Mid-morning.

2. Who ends up going to get the snacks?
(a) No one.
(b) Laura.
(c) Terri.
(d) Nick.

3. What is dysfunctional about Terri's previous relationship?
(a) She would help him commit crimes.
(b) They gave away their children.
(c) They never lived together.
(d) Her boyfriend beat her.

4. Who does Mel wish to talk with on the phone?
(a) His ex-wife.
(b) His parents.
(c) His children.
(d) No one.

5. What reason does Mel give for drinking?
(a) He does not have to go to the restaurant.
(b) He does not have to go to the hospital.
(c) He thinks it will cure his cold.
(d) Everyone else is drinking just as much as he.

Short Answer Questions

1. Who notes that the characters "are all from someplace else"?

2. What happens to the teenager after the accident?

3. How long does Terri's ex-boyfriend live after his final suicide attempt?

4. What happens to Terri's ex-boyfriend after he tried to kill himself?

5. What is the old couple's condition after the accident?

Short Essay Questions

1. How is a sense of repressed hostility presented in the story?

2. What does Mel think of Nick and Laura's love?

3. Describe the relationship between Mel and Terri.

4. What is Mel feeling as he describes the old man's love, who senses this, and what is his or her response?

5. What was Mel's relationship with the old couple like?

6. How is Nick and Laura's relationship portrayed by the author?

7. Why is Mel frustrated with the meaning of love?

8. What was happening when Mel arrived at the hospital?

9. What sort of casts and bandages are the old couple wearing and why is this a problem?

10. Describe the setting at the end of the story.

(see the answer keys)

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