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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. 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 Jewish.
(b) She is White.
(c) She is not Black.
(d) She is not a Christian.

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

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

4. Why are rams' horns being blown all around the city?
(a) It is Hanukkah.
(b) It is Sukkot.
(c) It is Rosh Hashanah.
(d) It is Yom Kippur.

5. What does the sick man want when he calls the main character?
(a) He wants her advice about whether to go to the hospital.
(b) He wants to talk about death and the afterlife.
(c) He wants her to come over and help him.
(d) He wants to apologize for the argument they recently had.

Short Answer Questions

1. What detail in the description of the man's bedroom indicates how close the hurricane is getting?

2. After completing her first draft of the story, what does the woman realize about it?

3. On her train ride, what does the woman realize she has not given much thought to?

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

5. How does the woman realize her study of religion has made her feel?

(see the answer key)

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