View a FREE sample

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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Why does the man in the story feel so ill?
(a) He has the flu.
(b) He has cancer.
(c) He has food poisoning.
(d) He is having a heart attack.

2. How does the woman realize her study of religion has made her feel?
(a) Energized.
(b) Guilty.
(c) Peaceful.
(d) Confused.

3. What detail in the description of the man indicates how ill he feels?
(a) The color of his face.
(b) The way his ribs protrude.
(c) The smell coming from his skin.
(d) The sounds he is making.

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

5. Who is "thinking of writing a letter to the President" (20)?
(a) The landlady.
(b) The woman at the church.
(c) The man who thinks he is dying.
(d) The main character.

Short Answer Questions

1. In what religion are the High Holy Days a sacred time?

2. What technique is used in the phrase "the stink of burning hair, fur, and horn" (19)?

3. What technique is used in the sentence: "The story is flat and even, just as the earth seems flat and even when a hurricane is advancing over it" (19)?

4. Besides reading the Bible, what else does the woman spend her time doing in the period of time her story is about?

5. For what reason, besides that "there may not be enough to tell about him," does the woman think that the man might not be the right "center" for her story (20)?

(see the answer key)

This section contains 324 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample