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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. In "Not Even," what does the speaker say a morgue can also be?
(a) A library.
(b) An omen.
(c) A church.
(d) A community center.

2. In "Künstlerroman," when does the speaker dance with his mother?
(a) During a wedding.
(b) During a huge snowstorm.
(c) During her second wedding.
(d) During his own graduation.

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

4. In "Toy Boat," what are the sparrows "pierced by"?
(a) The wind.
(b) The song.
(c) Their names.
(d) The bullets.

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

6. Where does the speaker say he will not dance alone in "Not Even"?
(a) The rally.
(b) The homestead.
(c) The club.
(d) The municipal graveyard at midnight.

7. In "Ars Poetica as the Maker," what does the speaker gather fistfuls of?
(a) Heather.
(b) Leaves.
(c) Ash.
(d) Paints.

8. In "The Punctum," how does the speaker describe "the skill lodged in the gravedigger's hands"?
(a) As "the original sin."
(b) As "timeless."
(c) As "the innocents."
(d) As often the same one "lodged behind your face."

9. In "Not Even," what does the speaker say is necessary to "make it out of here"?
(a) Sorcery.
(b) A miracle.
(c) Love.
(d) Pain.

10. In "Not Even," where does the speaker get off of the Amtrak train?
(a) Indianapolis.
(b) Helena.
(c) San Francisco.
(d) Missoula.

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

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

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

14. In "Reasons for Staying," how does the speaker describe the suicide of his uncle?
(a) As a result of isolation.
(b) As a result of drug addiction.
(c) As banal.
(d) As dying on purpose.

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

Short Answer Questions

1. In "Not Even," what is the word for love in the speaker's language?

2. Why does the speaker say he kept dancing even though the song had finished in "Not Even"?

3. In "Reasons for Staying," what is the only thing that rhymes with music?

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

5. In "Nothing," what do ghosts who are family say?

(see the answer keys)

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