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

Multiple Choice Questions

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

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

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

4. After reading paragraph 1, what do readers learn about the narrator's mother's former partner?
(a) He lives with them.
(b) He has died.
(c) He was unkind.
(d) They had a falling out.

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

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

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

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

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

10. What happened during Harold and Anna's act just before they were able to clasp hands in midair?
(a) Lightning struck the main tent pole.
(b) A blizzard forced everyone to run for shelter.
(c) Anna went into labor.
(d) A strong wind blew the tent away.

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

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

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

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

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

Short Answer Questions

1. What stands "cast in concrete" (para. 3) to commemorate the accident?

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

3. What did Anna and Harold do "openly" as they performed according to paragraph 5?

4. What does the narrator say audience members ate while waiting for the act to begin?

5. What is the narrator's mother's name?

(see the answer keys)

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