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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. The narrator says of he and his friends in Chapter 1, "All political systems and social systems appeared to us" to be what (22)?
(a) "Violent."
(b) "Corrupt."
(c) "Discouraging."
(d) "Enterprising."

2. How did Robson kill himself?
(a) By slitting his wrists.
(b) By hanging.
(c) By shooting himself.
(d) By overdose.

3. What did Adrian request in his suicide letter that the coroner do with his remains?
(a) Have him buried in his parents' cemetary plot.
(b) Have his body cast into the sea.
(c) Have him cremated and scattered.
(d) Have his remains shot to the moon.

4. How long after the narrator's marriage to Margaret did she take up with a fellow who ran a restaurant?
(a) 5 years.
(b) 15 years.
(c) 10 years.
(d) 12 years.

5. Phil Dixon related to his class that T. S. Eliot claimed it is all about what, according to the narrator in Chapter 1?
(a) Birth, copulation, and death.
(b) Life and death.
(c) The decision to commit suicide or not.
(d) What one leaves as a legacy.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does the narrator describe being tossed into a wet sink, causing it to steam in the opening of Chapter 1?

2. Who is described in Chapter 1 as "a cautious know-nothing who lacked the inventiveness of true ignorance" (13)?

3. In what field did Alex tell Veronica his father was in business in Chapter 1?

4. Into what field did the narrator begin training after he left college?

5. The narrator points out in Chapter 1 that "what you end up remembering isn't always" what (10)?

Short Essay Questions

1. What led to the protagonist's divorce?

2. How is Veronica's visit to London described when she goes to meet the protagonist's friends?

3. In the present tense narrative, what are the protagonist's circumstances as described in the conclusion of Chapter 1?

4. What information is revealed regarding the contents of Adrian's suicide letter?

5. Who are the "original three" among the narrator's group of friends? How are they described?

6. Where do the protagonist and his friends go to college after high school?

7. How is the narrative related in The Sense of an Ending? From whose perspective is the story told? Why?

8. What exchange takes place between the protagonist and Mrs. Ford when they are alone during breakfast when he visits?

9. What does the letter from Adrian say regarding Veronica in Chapter 1?

10. What differences can be seen between Veronica and the protagonist during their courtship?

(see the answer keys)

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