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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What stands "cast in concrete" (para. 3) to commemorate the accident?
(a) A replica tent pole.
(b) A feather boa.
(c) A statue of trapeze artists.
(d) A sequined costume.

2. What did Harold and Anna do in midair during their act according to paragraph 5?
(a) Tell a joke.
(b) Change costumes.
(c) Embrace.
(d) Kiss.

3. In paragraph 6, what does the narrator say her mother is able to live comfortably in?
(a) Extreme elements.
(b) The spotlight.
(c) Extreme poverty.
(d) Their farmhouse.

4. What did Anna and Harold do "openly" as they performed according to paragraph 5?
(a) Laugh and flirt.
(b) Sing and dance.
(c) Fumble and fall.
(d) Yell and argue.

5. In paragraph 2, what does the narrator say she sometimes thinks her mother has no memory of from her youth?
(a) Double somersaults and heart-stopping catches.
(b) Cramming for tests and getting good grades.
(c) Devouring books and writing poetry.
(d) School dances and young love.

6. What does the narrator point out in paragraph one about how her mother moves through the house?
(a) She acts as though her daughter is not there.
(b) She is quite clumsy.
(c) She never bumps into anything or knocks anything over.
(d) She barely moves so as not to disturb anything.

7. In paragraph 3, where does the narrator say she gets her information about her mother's disaster?
(a) Her father.
(b) Her in-laws.
(c) Her mother.
(d) Old newspapers.

8. Who was the other half of her mother's act?
(a) Harold Avalon.
(b) Henry Allen.
(c) Hank Allendale.
(d) Herman Adams.

9. Where does the narrator say she used to live in paragraph 4?
(a) The North.
(b) The South.
(c) The West.
(d) The Far East.

10. What did the ringmaster do to introduce the Flying Avalons on the day of the disaster?
(a) He blew a horn and jumped up and down.
(b) He announced Anna and Harold to the crowd.
(c) He cracked his whip and pointed to the ceiling.
(d) He gave a little background on their love story.

11. What phrase is used to describe the narrator's mother's movements in paragraph 2?
(a) Catlike precision.
(b) Graceless fumbling.
(c) Stealthlike manner.
(d) Like a bull in a china shop.

12. What condition does the narrator's mother have as explained in paragraph 1?
(a) She has dementia.
(b) She is deaf.
(c) She is blind.
(d) She is paralyzed.

13. What does the narrator sometimes do in her childhood room?
(a) She sews.
(b) She reads.
(c) She talks on the phone.
(d) She paints.

14. How many times does the narrator say she owes her existence to her mother?
(a) Dozens.
(b) 2.
(c) 3.
(d) 9.

15. What are some things the narrator says her mother has not kept from her youth?
(a) Journals or news clippings.
(b) Essays or awards.
(c) Sequined costumes or posters.
(d) Old clothes and old friends.

Short Answer Questions

1. After reading paragraph 1, what do readers learn about the narrator's mother's former partner?

2. What does the narrator suggest may have been Harold's final thought as he fell into the crowd on the day of the disaster?

3. What weather condition resulted in the disaster Anna and her husband experienced during their act?

4. What would Harold show the audience members during part of their act?

5. According to paragraph 4, during what month did Anna experience her disaster?

(see the answer keys)

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