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

Multiple Choice Questions

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

2. Where does the narrator say the tabloids carried the story of their town's disaster?
(a) Boston and L.A.
(b) Chicago and L.A.
(c) Boston and New York.
(d) Cincinatti and New York.

3. What does the narrator say her mother did the first time she owes her existence to her?
(a) She saved herself.
(b) She saved her daughter's life.
(c) She was born.
(d) She met her first husband.

4. What is the name of the narrator's mother's act?
(a) The Fluttering Angels.
(b) The Flying Avalons.
(c) The Floating Avatars.
(d) The Fledgling Abyssinians.

5. What would Harold show the audience members during part of their act?
(a) His wedding ring.
(b) His blindfold.
(c) A card trick.
(d) Anna's smear of lipstick near his mouth.

6. What is something the narrator says happens when she is in her room and gets a "whiff of smoke from the stove downstairs" (para.2)?
(a) She scurries to make sure her mother is okay.
(b) She knows her mother must be cooking something special.
(c) The stitches burn beneath her fingers.
(d) She panics and cannot breath.

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

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

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

10. Who is the author of "The Leap"?
(a) Leonora Ellis.
(b) Leslie Eldridge.
(c) Eleanor Lee.
(d) Louise Erdrich.

11. Where does the narrator and her mother live?
(a) Maine.
(b) Rhode Island.
(c) New Hampshire.
(d) Vermont.

12. What did Harold and Anna use for part of their act?
(a) Strobe lights.
(b) Colorful scarves.
(c) Blindfolds.
(d) Puppies.

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

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

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

Short Answer Questions

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

2. What metaphor is used in paragraph 5 to describe the way Anna and Harold would drop through the air during their act?

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

4. What condition does the narrator's mother have as explained in paragraph 1?

5. What are some things the narrator says her mother has not kept from her youth?

(see the answer keys)

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