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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What does the narrator say, on page 6, is the "real business of the afternoon"?
(a) Bragging about their husbands.
(b) Gossiping about their in-laws.
(c) Bragging about their children.
(d) Gossiping about women who are not present.

2. When John arrives at the Markeys' door, whom does he hear crying?
(a) Edith.
(b) Ede.
(c) Billy.
(d) Mrs. Markey.

3. When Edith tells Ede, on page 8, that she is a "bad girl," what does Ede do?
(a) Shrugs.
(b) Hides.
(c) Laughs.
(d) Cries.

4. How old is John Andros?
(a) 38.
(b) 42.
(c) 48.
(d) 32.

5. What does Edith feel when she joins Ede in her misbehavior?
(a) Anxiety and exhilaration.
(b) Shame and embarrassment.
(c) Solidarity and defiance.
(d) Relief and freedom.

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) Fight each other.
(c) Go to the bar to get a drink together.
(d) Argue a little bit and then come inside.

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

8. How old is Ede when the story takes place?
(a) 1 1/2.
(b) 2 1/2.
(c) 3.
(d) 2.

9. What does Ede do when Billy tries to get his toy back from her?
(a) Hides under the dining room table with the toy.
(b) Cries for her mother.
(c) Hits Billy in the face.
(d) Pushes Billy down deliberately.

10. What are the children doing when Edith and Ede arrive at the party?
(a) Dancing.
(b) Watching a magician.
(c) Eating candy.
(d) Playing a game.

11. Why are all of the children at the party so carefully dressed?
(a) It is a way to show respect to the party's hosts.
(b) Their parents want them to be comfortable while they play.
(c) Mrs. Markey is known to be a snob about clothing.
(d) Their parents want to show them off.

12. What technique is used in the page 3 phrase "her eyes with their irises of morning blue"?
(a) Synesthesia.
(b) Simile.
(c) Imagery.
(d) Allusion.

13. What does John hear as he is heading back into his house after the fight?
(a) The sound of the later train that he usually takes home from work.
(b) A police siren approaching the house.
(c) An argument starting between Joe and Mrs. Markey.
(d) The sound of Ede's laughter from inside his house.

14. What word does the narrator use on page 3 to describe the moments that John spends on the phone with Ede?
(a) Vivid.
(b) Wondrous.
(c) Amusing.
(d) Bewildering.

15. What surprising thing does Joe say to John after the fight?
(a) He tells John that it was a good fight, and he enjoyed it.
(b) He asks John if he and Edith want to come over to play bridge the next evening.
(c) He asks if John wants to come into his house to get cleaned up.
(d) He tells John that he only fought him to make his wife happy.

Short Answer Questions

1. On page 6, how does the narrator characterize the behavior of the children at the party?

2. How do the Androses know the Markeys?

3. What is implied about the sudden end to the phone conversation between Edith and John when she tells him about the baby party?

4. Edith thinks that Mrs. Markey is "snippy" (5). What does she think is true about Mrs. Markey?

5. What terms does John use on page 4 as he wonders about Ede's party dress?

(see the answer keys)

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