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

Multiple Choice Questions

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

2. 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 barely moves so as not to disturb anything.
(c) She is quite clumsy.
(d) She never bumps into anything or knocks anything over.

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

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

5. How many acts performed before Anna and her husband's act on the day of the disaster?
(a) 12.
(b) 1.
(c) 7.
(d) 3.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Short Answer Questions

1. What happened during Harold and Anna's act just before they were able to clasp hands in midair?

2. How many times does the narrator say she owes her existence to her mother?

3. Where does the narrator and her mother live?

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

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

(see the answer keys)

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