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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. In "No One Knows the Way to Heaven," what does the speaker think might be temporary?
(a) Time.
(b) Extinction.
(c) Heaven.
(d) Bliss.

2. In "Amazon History of a Former Nail Salon Worker," what are some purchases that reveal the worker's pain?
(a) Heating pads, painkilling pills, and painkilling pads.
(b) Band-aids.
(c) Alcohol.
(d) Illegal drug purchases.

3. In "Nothing," what does the speaker brush from Peter's beard?
(a) Fuzz.
(b) Chocolate.
(c) Ice.
(d) Crumbs.

4. In "Tell Me Something Good," what does the speaker pack a bag with?
(a) Chips.
(b) His favorite book and his mother's .45.
(c) Oreos and whiskey.
(d) Clothes.

5. In "Reasons for Staying," mercy is small, but what is smaller?
(a) The moon.
(b) The stars.
(c) The earth.
(d) The sun.

6. In "Nothing," what do the speaker and his partner do together?
(a) Go to church.
(b) Dance.
(c) Shovel snow.
(d) Sing.

7. In "Künstlerroman," where are some of the places the man in the movie visits?
(a) Schools.
(b) Fancy settings like mansions.
(c) Empty fields.
(d) Movie sets.

8. In "Künstlerroman," who does the man in the movie end up being?
(a) The speaker's best friend.
(b) The speaker's father.
(c) The speaker.
(d) A famous actor.

9. In "Reasons for Staying," what is the only thing that rhymes with music?
(a) Winter.
(b) Music.
(c) Summer.
(d) Poetry.

10. In "Nothing," whose recipe is the bread recipe?
(a) The speaker's mother's.
(b) Peter's grandmother's.
(c) The neighbor's.
(d) The speaker's.

11. Who were the victims of the poorly-documented lynchings in "The Punctum"?
(a) Mostly college students.
(b) Mostly bankers.
(c) Mostly young girls.
(d) Mostly Mexican Chinese, and Native American.

12. In "Tell Me Something Good," where will the speaker be if he opens his eyes?
(a) Back in his childhood bedroom under the blanket with yellow sailboats.
(b) Back at his wedding.
(c) Back in prison.
(d) Back in school.

13. In "Ars Poetica as the Maker," what book of the Bible does Vuong quote from?
(a) Genesis.
(b) Aftermath.
(c) Corinthians.
(d) Revelations.

14. In "Not Even," what does the speaker "throw himself" into?
(a) Helplessness.
(b) Pain.
(c) Gravity.
(d) His job.

15. In "Reasons for Staying," where do the speaker's best words come from?
(a) The moon.
(b) Farthest from himself.
(c) The past.
(d) The sun.

Short Answer Questions

1. In "Reasons for Staying," what sounds "like footsteps" when you play it?

2. In "Amazon History of a Former Nail Salon Worker," what is the first indication that the worker is undergoing cancer treatment?

3. In "Künstlerroman," what birthday does the speaker revisit?

4. What institution does the speaker visit in "The Punctum"?

5. In "Not Even," why does a young woman once tell the speaker he is "lucky"?

(see the answer keys)

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