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

2. After completing her first draft of the story, what does the woman realize about it?
(a) She is afraid that the content of the story will upset her friend.
(b) She cannot remember why she wanted to write it in the first place.
(c) She is losing touch with her passion as a writer.
(d) She understands more about herself and her life now that she has written it.

3. What can be inferred about the woman from the description of the women who try to get her to sit down at their church?
(a) She is White.
(b) She is not a Christian.
(c) She is Jewish.
(d) She is not Black.

4. In the story's opening sentence, what is implied about the main character's writing?
(a) Her readers are gradually deserting her.
(b) She is losing interest in her career.
(c) More than one of her stories is uninteresting.
(d) She does not deserve the praise she has gotten.

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

Short Answer Questions

1. 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)?

2. For the majority of the story, what tone does the narrator adopt?

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

4. What is it logical to infer about the church women who are wearing red?

5. Why was the woman reading the Bible during the period she writes about in her story?

(see the answer key)

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