2. What is it logical to infer about the church women who are wearing red?
(a) They are ushers.
(b) They are collecting the offering.
(c) They are worship leaders.
(d) They are the choir.

3. In what religion are the High Holy Days a sacred time?
(a) Hinduism.
(b) Christianity.
(c) Islam.
(d) Judaism.

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

5. What detail of the woman's train ride reinforces the motif of things that come close to happening but do not actually happen?
(a) Her thoughts about religion.
(b) The direction she is traveling.
(c) The water level.
(d) Her distance from the city.

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

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

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

9. What does the woman think might be preventing her from committing to a center for her story?
(a) Fear.
(b) Laziness.
(c) Curiosity.
(d) Hope.

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

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

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

13. What detail in the description of the man's bedroom indicates how close the hurricane is getting?
(a) The television weather forecast.
(b) The windows rattling.
(c) The flickering electricity.
(d) The drawn blinds.

14. 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)?
(a) This might not be the right time to tell his story.
(b) The man will be angry that she wrote about him.
(c) There is no real resolution to his story.
(d) She is unclear about how she feels about the man.

15. Why was the woman reading the Bible during the period she writes about in her story?
(a) Because she needed comfort during the hurricane.
(b) Because she wanted to know exactly what it said.
(c) Because it was the High Holy Days.
(d) Because she wanted to use Biblical allusions in her writing.