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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

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

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 understands more about herself and her life now that she has written it.
(c) She is losing touch with her passion as a writer.
(d) She cannot remember why she wanted to write it in the first place.

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

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

5. What technique is used in the phrase "the stink of burning hair, fur, and horn" (19)?
(a) Assonance.
(b) Onomatopoeia.
(c) Imagery.
(d) Synesthesia.

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

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

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

9. What does the hurricane do to the city in the woman's story?
(a) Passes by without actually striking the city.
(b) Causes flooding that disrupts transportation.
(c) Produces winds that uproot trees and tear off several roofs.
(d) Drops large hail that smashes windows in buildings and in cars.

10. What specific Biblical story does the writer focus on?
(a) Jonah and the Great Fish.
(b) Noah's Ark.
(c) The Trials of Job.
(d) The Garden of Eden.

11. 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)?
(a) Simile.
(b) Allegory.
(c) Personification.
(d) Allusion.

12. What denomination is the last church that the woman visits?
(a) Methodist.
(b) Episcopalian.
(c) Congregationalist.
(d) Baptist.

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

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

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

Short Answer Questions

1. What does the narrator say "usually promises to be interesting" (19)?

2. What can be inferred about the woman from the description of the women who try to get her to sit down at their church?

3. Why does the man in the story feel so ill?

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

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

(see the answer keys)

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