View a FREE sample

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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Where did the author attend elementary and high school?
(a) New Brunswick, New Jersey.
(b) New Hope, Pennsylvania.
(c) Trenton, New Jersey.
(d) Levittown, Pennsylvania.

2. What character did the bellhop perform a monologue of for the author in "Beast Mode"?
(a) King Lear.
(b) Hamlet.
(c) Banquo.
(d) Lady Macbeth.

3. In whose yard does the author describe the bird landing in "Not Only..."?
(a) Ingrid's.
(b) Pat's.
(c) Michael's.
(d) Ivan's.

4. With what disease had Walt been diagnosed seven years prior, according to the author in "Remission Still"?
(a) Pancreatic cancer.
(b) High blood pressure.
(c) Liver cancer.
(d) Leukemia.

5. What was the author's father's de facto Philadelphia station, according to his narrative in "Love Me in a Special Way"?
(a) Rockin' 95.
(b) Power 105.
(c) Hot Beat 102.
(d) Power 99.

6. What kind of plant does the author describe growing in the cracks of the sidewalk in "The Irrepressible: The Gratitudes"?
(a) Amaranth.
(b) Dandelion.
(c) Daffodil.
(d) Hyacinth.

7. Where in New York does the author describe the cafe where he had coffee in "Coffee without the Saucer"?
(a) The Lower East Side.
(b) Harlem.
(c) SoHo.
(d) Greenwich Village.

8. Who wrote the book The Poet, The Lion, Talking Pictures, El Farolito, A Wedding in St. Roch, The Big Box Store, The Warp in the Mirror, Spring, Midnights, Fire and All?
(a) C.D. Wright.
(b) Paolo Sorrentino.
(c) Philippe Petit.
(d) Ben Lerner.

9. Where does the author describe walking when he saw a lychee dealer in "My Birthday, Kinda"?
(a) Queens.
(b) The Bronx.
(c) Manhattan.
(d) Brooklyn.

10. What book is did the author have open in "Praying Mantis"?
(a) The Underground.
(b) No One Knows My Name.
(c) When Women Were Birds.
(d) Ulysses.

11. On what street in Chinatown does the author describe seeing two people sharing a bag in "Sharing a Bag"?
(a) Elm Street.
(b) Water Street.
(c) Canal Street.
(d) Center Street.

12. What song is described in "Donny Hathaway on Pandora"?
(a) "For All We Know."
(b) "Come Back as a Flower."
(c) "Myself."
(d) "LSD."

13. Where does the author describe being on his way to for a reading in "Umbrella in the Cafe"?
(a) Trenton.
(b) Princeton.
(c) Philadelphia.
(d) New Brunswick.

14. What is the second bird that the author describes observing being fed in "Bird Feeding"?
(a) A finch.
(b) A titmouse.
(c) A cardinal.
(d) A heron.

15. What does the author say the French word "essai" means in "Blowing it Off"?
(a) To speak.
(b) To fail.
(c) To follow.
(d) To try.

Short Answer Questions

1. Who wrote the book Public Figures that the author references in "The High-Fives from Strangers, Etc."?

2. What friend does the author describe meeting in "Hickories"?

3. What drug was introduced about five years into Walt's illness, leading to a remission for him?

4. What birds does the author describe in his chest in the end of "Repent or Burn"?

5. How old was the author when his father was diagnosed with cancer?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 448 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample