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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. What technique is employed when the narrator says, "If I was writing a story I could make up all sorts of things" (14)?
(a) Understatement.
(b) Paradox.
(c) Irony.
(d) Foreshadowing.

2. What is Battersby's sister irritated about when she comes downstairs to where Battersby's friends have gathered?
(a) They are all hitting on Matilda.
(b) They are smoking marijuana.
(c) They did not include her in their plans.
(d) They have made a mess.

3. When Poor realizes that Harry is feeling down because of Jean, what does Poor suggest?
(a) He will talk to Jean on Harry's behalf.
(b) Harry should be more straightforward with Jean.
(c) He can fix Harry up with an English woman.
(d) Harry should date Matilda to make Jean jealous.

4. What does Battersby's sister do for a living?
(a) She is a pickpocket.
(b) She begs for money in the park.
(c) She is a sex worker.
(d) She sings and plays music in the subway.

5. In the market, when Alfy calls out to Poor that he is "dying for a cigarette," what reason does he give for not smoking one (39)?
(a) He is trying to save money for the house.
(b) His wife has demanded that he stop smoking.
(c) He is completely out of both cigarettes and money.
(d) Gallows might see him and tell Battersby.

Short Answer Questions

1. What word do the characters use that hints at the French colonial history of Trinidad?

2. What word does the narrator use to refer to the structure of his storytelling?

3. What does the expression "as if butter won't melt in his mouth" mean (8)?

4. What technique is used when the narrator says that "Up in the atmosphere thunder roll with laughter"?

5. What do Harry and Battersby's sister have a playful argument about when they meet?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is ironic about the difference between the food Battersby imagines on page 2 and the food he genuinely likes?

2. Describe the talent of Battersby's that the narrator talks about on pages 6 and 7.

3. What did Battersby often listen to on his radio, and why did he stop?

4. Describe Battersby's apartment.

5. How does the sentence "I mean, you think it have a lot of obeah and black magic in the West Indies, but if you listen to some of these Nordics" illustrate the unusual aspects of this book's narrative voice?

6. What is ironic about the story of Fitz's marriage?

7. What does Battersby mean when he tells Alfonso that the weather forecaster is talking about "depression and high pressure" and that these are "things the boys know about" (4)?

8. What number does Bat imagine giving his apartment, and why is this important to him?

9. What observations does the narrator make about hidden ambition before telling the story of how Gallows came to England?

10. Describe the woman that Gallows depended on for food and a place to live when he first came to London.

(see the answer keys)

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