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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

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

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

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

4. What does the narrator say "usually promises to be interesting" (19)?
(a) A death.
(b) A flood.
(c) A religious crisis.
(d) A hurricane.

5. What does the landlady say the mayor gave her?
(a) An award.
(b) Carpet.
(c) Flowers.
(d) A stove.

Short Answer Questions

1. What detail of the woman's train ride reinforces the motif of things that come close to happening but do not actually happen?

2. Who is with the landlady when the landlady is talking about the mayor?

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

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

5. What color is the light in the man's bedroom?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does the man in the main character's story think that he is dying, and what does he do about it?

2. Who are the people in the story that the writer is working on?

3. What is the woman's story about, and what is its major flaw?

4. How is the story that the woman is writing similar to the earth and different from a hurricane?

5. When the woman is riding the train, after the hurricane has passed, what two realizations does she come to?

6. What did the woman originally begin her story with that she later decides to edit out?

7. Explain what the "yellow pall" is and what things in Davis's story it is attached to.

8. What happens when the woman visits a Baptist church?

9. What paradox related to religion does the woman encounter in writing her story?

10. What comment does the story make about paring a story down to the essentials, and what does this have to do with Davis's own style?

(see the answer keys)

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