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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. When Lucien is in the gallery imagining that he is with Charlie, what does he promise her?
(a) He will try to think more kindly about Rose and Isaac.
(b) He will put more energy into the gallery.
(c) He will find another apartment for Nathaniel.
(d) He will find another woman to love and be happy again.

2. What made tears come into Nathaniel's eyes the first time he saw Matsumoto's loft?
(a) The Jacuzzi in the bathroom.
(b) The view from the terrace.
(c) The flat-screen television.
(d) The art on the walls.

3. What does Nathaniel say history teaches us?
(a) If we do not study the past, we will inevitably repeat unhelpful patterns.
(b) There are too many variables for humans to be effective at thinking ahead.
(c) Great people rise to prominence regardless of their circumstances.
(d) Systems and institutions favor the powerful by their very nature.

4. To what does Nathaniel compare the sight of Manhattan from Matsumoto's loft?
(a) A miniature city from his childhood train set.
(b) A glass of champagne.
(c) The circuit board of a computer.
(d) Van Gogh's Starry Night.

5. Of all of the things that Nathaniel can see from Matsumoto's loft, which is most important to him?
(a) The Chrysler Building.
(b) The Empire State Building.
(c) The Statue of Liberty.
(d) The World Trade Center.

Short Answer Questions

1. To whom does Nathaniel imagine telling the story of the Y2K computer issue?

2. What does Nathaniel do with his spare time that his parents find worrisome?

3. What does Nathaniel say that ceremonial occasions remind us about?

4. What does Nathaniel suggest that people might be desperate enough to burn in the wake of a global computer failure?

5. How are Nathaniel and Lucien related?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does the "View" referred to in the third section of the story change in its significance for Nathaniel between his arrival in New York and the narrative present?

2. What is the "Reunion" referred to in the title of the sixth section of the story?

3. What is the "View" that the third section of the story is titled for, and why is it special?

4. Why did Nathaniel's friends come to live with him?

5. Describe Rose and Issac.

6. What qualities does Nathaniel have that worry his parents?

7. Where are Nathaniel and his friends, in the narrative present, and what are they doing?

8. What is the meaning of the title of the section of the story called "Innocence"?

9. What phrase makes Lucien think about the frog and the boiling water, and why?

10. Explain the non-event that "Nathaniel Recalls the Miracle" is centered on.

(see the answer keys)

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