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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. Why does the main character find that the story she is working on is not an easy one to write?
(a) It is about death.
(b) It is about fear.
(c) It is about friendship.
(d) It is about religion.

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

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

4. What color is the light in the man's bedroom?
(a) Grey.
(b) Blue.
(c) Yellow.
(d) Purple.

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

Short Answer Questions

1. The man tells the woman that he has committed "blasphemy" (20). What has he done?

2. What does the woman suspect that the man believes about his blasphemy?

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

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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