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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What detail about Anna does the narrator note was not mentioned in the newspaper accounts of the disaster?

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

3. What did Harold and Anna do in midair during their act according to paragraph 5?

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

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

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does the narrator sometimes forget that her mother was part of the Flying Avalons?

2. What stands in the center of town as a reminder of the disaster? Where does the narrator find out about the events that day?

3. Why does the narrator find it unsurprising that her mother was able to perform while seven months pregnant?

4. Why does the narrator say people in the East are at a disadvantage regarding weather changes than those in the West, where she used to live?

5. What detail about Anna was not mentioned in the newspaper accounts of the disaster?

6. How does the narrator describe the way her mother moves through their home in New Hampshire in paragraph 1?

7. What type of performer was the narrator's mother? Where does she live and what is her medical condition?

8. Describe Anna and Harold's typical trapeze performance.

9. What events followed lightning striking the main tent pole while Harold and Anna were performing?

10. How is the scene at the circus before the disaster described? What was the weather like? What was the audience doing?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss elements of the narrative structure: Exposition, conflict, complication, climax, resolution and conclusion. Do all the elements make for a logical and linear story? How does the story's structure express the story’s themes?

Essay Topic 2

Write a brief essay analyzing the title “The Leap.” Explore the ways in which this title connects to the plot and themes of the story.

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay analyzing the narrative structure of “The Leap." What effect does this have on the story and the reader? Use direct examples from the story to support your analysis.

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