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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. Whose house does Adam enter at the beginning of the novel?
(a) Amber’s.
(b) His own.
(c) Jason’s.
(d) A strangers’.

2. What does Jane say caused her language to end in pure sound?
(a) Her feelings when she realized her father had abused her.
(b) Her reaction to the man on the playground.
(c) Her anger when she saw Adam bullying Amber.
(d) Her experience viewing sculptures on acid.

3. Where was Jane giving a lecture when her friendship with Sima fell apart?
(a) The Kennedy Center.
(b) The 92nd Street Y.
(c) Washburn University.
(d) The Topeka Foundation.

4. What real-life events did Jonathan’s therapist see in his feelings about the Ziegler story?
(a) His wife’s illness.
(b) His marital indiscretion.
(c) His parents’ death.
(d) His son’s birth.

5. When does the narrator say Jonathan married his first wife?
(a) After they had each lost a parent.
(b) When they finished their doctorates.
(c) When they got unexpectedly pregnant.
(d) When they both graduated high school.

Short Answer Questions

1. Where were Jonathan and his first wife married?

2. How long was Adam unconscious after his concussion?

3. What does the narrator say Darren would use to ward off insults?

4. What was Dr. Erwood’s specialty at the Topeka Foundation?

5. What topic is Adam debating in Russell High School?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the story Amber told Adam in the car after they reconnected?

2. What is the spread and why is it controversial?

3. How does Jonathan describe his relationship with Ziegler?

4. How does Jane characterize her relationship with Sima?

5. How does Jonathan explain his success at the Foundation?

6. What was it that the Foundation community found humorous when Jonathan screened the film he made of the Ziegler story?

7. What is the setting for the first full chapter, after the brief prologue?

8. Where is Darren’s refuge, and what solace does he take there?

9. How does the narrator characterize Adam’s role in the debate team?

10. How does the narrator’s perspective shift as he describes Adam’s return to shore and the process of reuniting with Amber?

(see the answer keys)

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