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

Multiple Choice Questions

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

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

3. What was the narrator's mother's former career as stated in the first sentence?
(a) Ballerina.
(b) Fire breather.
(c) Trapeze artist.
(d) Ringleader.

4. According to paragraph 4, during what month did Anna experience her disaster?
(a) November.
(b) February.
(c) September.
(d) June.

5. What does the narrator say audience members ate while waiting for the act to begin?
(a) Popcorn and peanuts.
(b) Hot dogs and chips.
(c) Hamburgers and French fries.
(d) Ice cream and candy.

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 panics and cannot breath.
(b) She scurries to make sure her mother is okay.
(c) She knows her mother must be cooking something special.
(d) The stitches burn beneath her fingers.

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

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

9. What detail about Anna does the narrator note was not mentioned in the newspaper accounts of the disaster?
(a) She was pregnant.
(b) She was blind.
(c) She was Harold's wife.
(d) She was badly injured.

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

11. What is the narrator's mother's name?
(a) Anna.
(b) Alice.
(c) Agnes.
(d) Abbeth.

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

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

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

15. What weather condition resulted in the disaster Anna and her husband experienced during their act?
(a) A gale.
(b) A tornado.
(c) A blizzard.
(d) A tsunami.

Short Answer Questions

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

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

3. Where does the narrator say she used to live in paragraph 4?

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

5. What phrase is used to describe the narrator's mother's movements in paragraph 2?

(see the answer keys)

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