View a FREE sample

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

Multiple Choice Questions

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

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

3. What does Nathaniel say that ceremonial occasions remind us about?
(a) That time only moves in one direction.
(b) That life is unpredictable.
(c) That ideas are bigger than any one person.
(d) That we should love one another.

4. What is Russell's business relationship to Amity?
(a) He is her book agent.
(b) He is her lawyer.
(c) He is an employee of her P.R. firm.
(d) He works with her at the stock exchange.

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

Short Answer Questions

1. Besides their minimal rent, what task are Nathaniel and his roommates performing in exchange for a place to live?

2. What does Lucien end up saying to his assistant on page 8 when he wants to give her a piece of advice?

3. What is Nathaniel's job in the narrative present?

4. To what does Nathaniel compare the sight of Manhattan from Matsumoto's loft?

5. Where did Nathaniel live before he moved to New York?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. Describe Rose and Issac.

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

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

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

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

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

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

9. 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?

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

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,058 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample