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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What interrupts Edith's thoughts about John as the party is winding down?
(a) The doorbell rings and another father enters the room.
(b) Billy opens a present and Ede asks her mother what it is.
(c) Ede pushes Billy down and Billy cries out.
(d) Mrs. Markey suggests that Edith might want to call John.

2. To John Andros, what does Ede represent?
(a) His and Edith's love.
(b) His own life continuing through her.
(c) His ability to provide for others.
(d) His arrival into adulthood.

3. What does Edith decide is true about John when he has not arrived by six o'clock?
(a) He has forgotten all about her request.
(b) He shows no interest in the things that make Edith happy.
(c) He has little pride in his own child.
(d) He has lost track of time at work.

4. What word does Mrs. Markey use to describe Ede on page 5 that Edith takes as a potential criticism?
(a) "Smart."
(b) "Fresh."
(c) "Baby."
(d) "Little."

5. Who is Ede named after?
(a) Her father's sister.
(b) Her mother.
(c) Her father's mother.
(d) Her mother's mother.

6. What does Edith tell John she thought that he and Joe were going to do when she went back into the house?
(a) Shake hands and make peace.
(b) Argue a little bit and then come inside.
(c) Fight each other.
(d) Go to the bar to get a drink together.

7. What is the meaning of "amity" as it is used on page 5?
(a) Diplomacy.
(b) Friendship.
(c) Rivalry.
(d) Compromise.

8. What technique is used in the page 4 phrase "the moon was out, shining with proud brilliance on the thin sugary snow"?
(a) Conceit.
(b) Euphemism.
(c) Allusion.
(d) Personification.

9. Why does Mr. Markey go upstairs after the altercation between Billy and Ede?
(a) To call the doctor.
(b) To calm himself down.
(c) To get witch-hazel.
(d) To get another teddy bear.

10. On page 6, how does the narrator characterize the behavior of the children at the party?
(a) They behave "like little statesmen."
(b) They behave "remarkably well."
(c) They behave "like little animals."
(d) They behave "tolerably, given the circumstances."

11. When John argues with Joe, what does John make the argument about?
(a) The merits of their respective wives.
(b) The silliness of having a party for babies.
(c) Their relative social status.
(d) The quality of Joe's manhood.

12. What is implied about the sudden end to the phone conversation between Edith and John when she tells him about the baby party?
(a) Edith is angry at her husband and has hung up on him.
(b) The unreliable phone service in the suburbs has cut out.
(c) John hears his boss coming and quickly ends the personal call.
(d) Ede has pulled the phone out of her mother's hand.

13. What word best describes the narrator's tone toward modern parenting practices?
(a) Confused.
(b) Enthusiastic.
(c) Skeptical.
(d) Concerned.

14. What does the most difficult part of parenting seem to be for John?
(a) Worrying about how to provide for his family.
(b) Understanding the needs of a small child.
(c) Tolerating the mess and chaos of a small child.
(d) Letting his child develop into her own person.

15. Why does Ede begin to cry shortly after her father arrives at the Markeys' house?
(a) She does not want to leave the party.
(b) She is overtired and wants her father to pay attention to her.
(c) She hears Mr. Markey call both her and her mother insulting names.
(d) She is confused and upset by all of the shouting.

Short Answer Questions

1. In the passage that describes the babies trying to get into the kitchen, how does the narrator's diction create a comic effect?

2. What word does the narrator use on page 3 to describe the moments that John spends on the phone with Ede?

3. When Joe angrily asks John if John thinks he is going to get away with the things he has just said, what does John do?

4. As John walks to the Markeys' house, what is he wondering about?

5. What technique is used in the page 3 phrase "her eyes with their irises of morning blue"?

(see the answer keys)

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