1. What does Gin mean when she tells the narrator that she knows the dead woman?
(a) She dreams about the woman.
(b) The woman was from her neighborhood.
(c) The woman was not much older than Gin.
(d) The woman is a distant relative of Gin's.

2. Gin mentions her "nonna's cottage" (240). Whose cottage is this?
(a) Her mother.
(b) Her sister.
(c) Her grandmother.
(d) Her aunt.

3. What technique is evident in the phrase "feverish plucking and twanging, tom-toms, congas, and gongs" (235)?
(a) Euphony.
(b) Cacophony.
(c) Hyperbaton.
(d) Double entendre.

4. What technique is used in the sentence "On my fingers your slick scent mixed with the coconut musk of the suntan lotion we’d repeatedly smeared over each other's bodies" (234) ?
(a) Personification.
(b) Allusion.
(c) Metonymy.
(d) Imagery.

5. What does Gin believe is true about the dead woman on the beach?
(a) She was sent by God.
(b) Her death was accidental.
(c) She was an omen.
(d) Gin and the narrator could have saved her.

Short Answer Questions

1. What is the narrator's tone when he recalls, "I was trying to calm your terror with reassuring phrases such as 'Holy shit! I don’t fucking believe this!'” (236)?

2. What does the narrator speculate that the lightening across the water might be doing?

3. What kind of blanket does Gin bring to the beach?

4. Which detail of the narrator's description of their kisses indicates the passage of time?

5. What is the first priority of the ambulance attendant when he arrives?

(see the answer key)

This section contains 311 words
(approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page)

View a FREE sample