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This quiz consists of 5 multiple choice and 5 short answer questions through Section 1: The Center of the Story.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. For the majority of the story, what tone does the narrator adopt?
(a) Melancholic.
(b) Amused.
(c) Dismissive.
(d) Objective.

2. Who is the author of "The Center of the Story"?
(a) Maile Chapman.
(b) Lydia Davis.
(c) Judith Frank.
(d) Doris Betts.

3. What detail does the story give about the shape of the tape on the windows?
(a) It is shaped like the letter "x."
(b) It is shaped like asterisks.
(c) It is shaped like crosses.
(d) It is shaped like diamonds.

4. The man tells the woman that he has committed "blasphemy" (20). What has he done?
(a) Contemplated suicide.
(b) Shown disrespect to God.
(c) Cursed God's name.
(d) Told a harmful lie about someone.

5. On her train ride, what does the woman realize she has not given much thought to?
(a) Her friend's illness.
(b) The newscasters.
(c) Her next story.
(d) The devil.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does the landlady say the mayor gave her?

2. Who is with the landlady when the landlady is talking about the mayor?

3. Why are rams' horns being blown all around the city?

4. Why does the main character find that the story she is working on is not an easy one to write?

5. What technique is used in the sentence: "Outside her apartment, the weather was changing: the wind rose, the branches swayed on the young trees, and the leaves fluttered" (19)?

(see the answer key)

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